


Change of Circumstance

by Thunderbirdswolvesandlilacs



Series: Naruto Series Rewrite [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: All character growth not just the main characters, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto), BAMF Haruno Sakura, BAMF Nara Shikamaru, BAMF Uchiha Sasuke, BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, But isn't ridiculous, But it's more of a side plot right now, But more realistic and not plot centered, Character Development, Clan Politics, Clan Restoration Act, Competent Teacher Kakashi, Eventual Naruto harem, Evil Shimura Danzou, F/F, F/M, Genderfluid Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura & Uzumaki Naruto Friendship, Haruno Sakura & Yamanaka Ino Friendship, Haruno Sakura Has Issues, Haruno clan exists, Inner Sakura - Freeform, Inner Sakura Is The Result Of A Bloodline, Izumi Uchiha lives, Jiraiya is a Namikaze, M/M, Multiple bloodline Naruto, Multiple bloodline Sasuke, Namikaze clan exists, Nara Shikamaru & Uzumaki Naruto Friendship, Naruto is a senju, Not all the Uchihas are dead, Original Character(s), Picks up in chapter 8, Politics, Reanimated Tobirama Senju, Reincarnation, Rewrite, Sarutobi Hiruzen lives, Senju clan still exists, Slow Build, Smart Haruno Sakura, Strong Haruno Sakura, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Tobirama fixes shit, Uchiha Massacre - canon divergence, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto Friendship, Uchiha Sasuke Has Issues, Uchiha Shisui Lives, Uzumaki Naruto Has Issues, but he is working on them, but she is working on them, naruto rewrite, plot hole(s) fix-it, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2020-05-31 11:12:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 24
Words: 130,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19424812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunderbirdswolvesandlilacs/pseuds/Thunderbirdswolvesandlilacs
Summary: What if Orochimaru miscalculated in his fight against his former mentor? What if when he reanimated the First and Second Hokage they broke free of his control? What if Tobirama decided to stick around and not only help fix the Leaf Village's inner corruption, but raise his great-grandson?One change can make a big difference. And Team 7 is going to take full advantage of it!Part 2 of the Naruto Series Rewrite





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Through Hell and High Water](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/494533) by MM995. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> So this story came about as both an inspired work and my annoyance/anger at the plot-holes and poor character development/Characterization of the series. Don't get me wrong. I love the Naruto series, but so many things could have been improved upon. This is my attempt at fixing all of that in a way that doesn't make the characters OP right off the bat.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

**(Hiruzen’s POV)**

“Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation” Orochimaru called out, smacking his hands down onto the ground.

I looked on in horror as two coffins were summoned up out of the ground, tensing as two shadowed figures made their way out of the stone prisons.

As the figures stepped shakily into the light my gut seized in horror as I recognized the figures as none-other-than my former mentors, Hashirama and Tobirama Senju.

“There isn’t a death more fitting than dying at the hands of your own teachers” Orochimaru mocked joyously.

“Damn you!” I cursed at him, sweat rolling down my face.

Facing my former student on my own was one thing, facing my two former mentors controlled by said student was another issue all together.

In my prime, maybe it would have been feasible. As I am now I would be lucky to survive a fight with Orochimaru alone.

“Oh, it’s you Saru” Tobirama said, recognizing his former student in his haze.

“You’ve gotten so old Sarutobi” Hashirama stated, realizing that somehow he and his brother had been brought back from the dead.

“My reanimation jutsu. I would have never thought that one of my own techniques could be used in such a vile way” Tobirama said disgusted, “I am to assume that if we have been brought back it is to fight you Saru?”

“It would appear that way Tobirama-sensei” I respond sadly, bracing myself for the worst.

**(Third POV)**

“No matter what the era, there is always conflict” Hashirama sighs, bringing his hand to his forehead.

“Isn’t it great?” Orochimaru said gleefully.

All three of the Kage glared at the Snake.

“Judging from his chakra he’s a member of the Juhebi clan” Tobirama observed.

“Now that this little reunion is out of the way, it’s time for the real party to begin” Orochimaru smirked, bringing out to kunai with red tags. Narrowing his eyes Tobirama brought his hands together to make the snake hand sign.

“Whatever you are planning is meaningless. I’ve improved upon your own jutsu. I may have revived you near your full power, but you cannot escape my control” Orochimaru said confidently.

“Your senses have dulled Tobirama” Hashirama teased.

Reaching out his senses, Tobirama felt that Orochimaru’s body was almost entirely made up of his elder brother’s cells.

“Are you not willing to peacefully withdraw?” Hashirama inquired calmly.

Orochimaru’s smile faded.

“The First Hokage…He can break free of my control any moment he wishes. This was not a calculation I prepared myself for” Orochimaru thought, suddenly very concerned.

At the same time Tobirama smirked.

While Orochimaru did have him bound, he had already performed the necessary hand seal to overwrite Orochimaru’s control over him. Pulsing his chakra slightly, Orochimaru’s binding was undone.

Turning to face Orochimaru, Tobirama quickly performed a series of hand signs. “Water style: severing wave” he announced, exhaling a stream of water from his mouth at Orochimaru. Orochimaru dodged the destructive blade of water, but lost one of his arms in the process.

“Impossible! How did you escape my jutsu?!” Orochimaru demanded furiously, clutching his bleeding stump.

“I am the original creator of the technique. No matter what advancements you make I still hold all the keys to its inner workings and foundation” Tobirama stated simply.

“If you will not back down, then…Wood style: Nativity of a World of Trees” Hashirama said, weaving the necessary seals flawlessly.

The ANBU watched in awe as a literal forest of gigantic trees appeared out of the roofing tiles.

“Blast!” Orochimaru cursed as he dodged the animate trees that were trying to coil themselves around him.

Jumping into the air in another evasive maneuver he decided to just cut his losses and brought up his remaining hand in order to dispel the Reanimation jutsu.

As he planned the First Hokage’s false body started to break apart, much to the former Hokage’s surprise.

“It was good to see you again despite the circumstances Sarutobi. Continue to protect the Village well” Hashirama said, giving Hiruzen one final smile before the reanimation completely cancelled, leaving only the corpse of Zaku Abumi in his place.

“Water style: Water Dragon jutsu” Tobirama commanded, sending a large water dragon, double its usual size at Orochimaru.

“But how?! I cancelled the jutsu!” he demanded as he struggled to regain his bearings within the torrent.

“I am not one to repeat myself” Tobriama stated flatly.

Quickly Tobirama threw several kunai at Orochimaru before he could steady himself. As the kunai past his head, Orochimaru noticed too late that one of the kunai contained the Second Hokage’s trademark seal.

Before he could even react Tobirama appeared in front of Orochimaru, both slashing a fatal wound into his stomach with a kunai and severing his other arm from his body, “Flying Thunder God: Slash”.

Orochimaru collapsed to his knees coughing up blood.

“Now to finish you off” Tobirama stated callously.

“Sound Four! Retreat maneuver!” Orochimaru desperately called out to his subordinates.

Immediately his subordinates heeded his call, dropping the barrier and rushing over to their Master.

Tobirama moved to strike at Orochimaru once more, but as he was about to reach the man he was blocked by a younger shinobi who had hardened some kind of armor over his skin. Immediately after the boy spat a giant web at him.

“Ah. A member of the Kumoebu clan then” Tobirama realized.

Using his Flying Thunder God jutsu, Tobirama teleported to where his marked kunai had landed, avoiding the webbing. This gave the Sound Four the time they needed to escape underground with Orochimaru.

Tobirama held his position as some of the Anbu sped off to locate Orochimaru and his subordinates.

“Tobirama-sensei. Saying thank you wouldn’t be nearly enough for your assistance in dealing with Orochimaru” Hiruzen said, walking over to his former mentor.

“What is going on Saru? From the chakra I am sensing and the chaos of the arena I can only assume that the Leaf is being invaded” Tobirama determined.

Hiruzen nodded.

“Regrettably Orochimaru is a former student of mine. When he was caught illegally experimenting with both jutsu and people he managed to evade capture. He created the Village Hidden in the Sound, and along with the Sand Village, they invaded the Leaf in a joint operation” Hiruzen explained sadly.

“Then we shall bring an end to the rest of the fighting here. I sense most of the forces have been dealt with, though there are still the remaining ones to deal with. After, I will assist you in capturing with your former student. He is a threat to the Village that cannot be left to the wayside” Tobirama declared.

“At my age the extra help would be more than appreciated sensei” Hiruzen said gratefully.  
Suddenly the remaining three ANBU who had been observing the fight appeared in front of them.

“Lord Third, are you alright?” Dolphin asked.

“My health is not the concern. What of the Village?” Hiruzen demanded.

“Our counterattack was launched a little while ago, and Master Jiraiya has already dealt with Orochimaru’s snake hydra summon” Hawk answered.

“Then we shall join the front lines as well” Tobirama decided.

Hiruzen nodded, and the two men took off into the Village.

If the situation weren’t so serious Tobirama would have taken the time to find amusement in the shock and confusion of those who recognized him for who he was. The deceased Second Hokage.

Once the news had spread around the Village that not only had Orochimaru retreated, but that the Second Hokage had been reanimated, the remaining Sand and Sound shinobi decided that it would be wise to follow Orochimaru’s lead and retreat as well.

The Village had sustained damage, but nothing that couldn’t be repaired within a month or so. Most importantly, very few lives were lost. And for that Tobirama was grateful.

All in all, the Village seemed to be a much more cohesive unit than when he had been alive.

The following day he and Hiruzen met in the Hokage’s office in order to devise plans for the Village’s safety and reconstruction.

“Border patrols need to be posted. We have to remain vigilant in case another country decides to take advantage of the situation and invade the Leaf as well” Tobirama states.

“Agreed. Available squads will continue to go on missions in order to keep the perception that all is well. Then there is the matter of how to track down my elusive ex-student” Hiruzen sighed.

“If I must I will locate him myself. He must not be allowed to continue as he is. Especially after the actions he has taken” Tobirama stated firmly.

“Indeed. If I had not let him go the first time none of this would have happened” Hiruzen said regretfully.

“What’s done is done. Saying what if will not accomplish anything. You made a mistake. You are not the first human being to do so. It is how you move forward from it that matters” Tobirama lectured.

“Unfortunately I failed at that too sensei” Hiruzen thought sadly, an image of Naruto appearing in his mind.

The door to the Hokage’s office opened to reveal Koharu, and Homura.

Tobirama couldn’t help but smile a little at the sight of his former students. Conversely, his former subordinates could only stare in shock at the sight of their former mentor.

“When I had heard that the Second Hokage had appeared on the battlefield I thought for sure that madness had set in” Koharu in awe at her former mentor’s presence.

“An unplanned shock for myself as well. But not necessarily an unpleasant one. No matter the circumstances, so long as I am able to help the village I am satisfied with my continued presence here” Tobirama stated.

“As much as I’d like to believe that you are all here out of nostalgia I know better than to expect as much” Hiruzen inquired.

Tobirama subtly glanced at Hirzen from the corner of his eye.

“An interesting choice of words. There is definitely a story behind that” Tobirama thought, confused at Hiruzen’s attitude towards his former teammates.

“Indeed. We have an important matter to discuss before anything else” Homura answered.

“Which would be?” Tobirama inquired.

“The appointment of a new Hokage” Koharu revealed.

Hiruzen let out a long drawn out sigh.

“I agree that another Hokage must be appointed. The problem lies in who would be given the position” Hiruzen says.

“The Council has already chosen Jiraiya” Homura declared.

“Jiraiya? If memory serves he dealt with Orochimaru’s summon during the invasion” Tobirama thought.

Hiruzen just chuckled.

“What is so amusing? Do you not believe this Jiriaya is fit for the position?” Tobirama inquired curiously.

“Quite the opposite actually. Jiraiya is another former student of mine, and he is more than qualified for the position. However, he’s turned down the offer to become Hokage twice before this, and I doubt he’ll agree to it even now” Hiruzen explained with an edge of humor and exasperation.

“If not Jiriaya then who?” Homura asked.

“If you all are so set on a Sannin there is another” a voice cut in.

All eyes immediately turned to the window.

Tobirama quickly took in the man before him, trying to discern his threat level.

“He was able to bypass my senses. How?” Tobirama thought fiercely, his eyes narrowing in mistrust.

“Sensei, before you attack I would like to introduce you to my former student Jiriaya” Hiruzen said with an amused smile, putting his former mentor at ease.

“Well? What do you say?” Jiraiya asked, as if he wasn’t almost attacked by the reanimated Second Hokage.

The elders just looked at one another. A move that peaked Tobirama’s curiosity yet again.

“There is no doubt that the girl is qualified, but she has not been to the Village in years. How do you expect to track her down?” Homura challenged.

“You just leave that part to me. I’m sure I can dig her up” Jiraiya said with a confident smirk.

“And whom are you all speaking of?” Tobirama asked, starting to get mildly annoyed at all the inferences without any explanations.

“Your grand-niece Tsunade” Hiruzen explained.

“Tsuna huh?” Tobirama said with a small nostalgia smile.

“It would be nice to see how she and Nawaki grew up” Tobirama thought fondly.

“Very well. We will send a small team of ANBU to join you on your mission” Koharu agreed.

“I’ll pass. The ANBU will just slow me down. I’ll find her quicker on my own” Jiraiya dismissed, “Although…”

All eyes looked to Jiraiya as he gave a dramatic pause.

“I’ve seem to run across an interesting little egg”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> The Changes begin!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

Seeing how the Village had flourished better than I could have ever hoped in the time since my death I couldn’t help the pride that swelled in my chest.

I had never been nearly as idealistic as my elder brother. If I had to describe myself I’d say that I was a pragmatic realist. I preferred practical solutions that were more likely to be achieved rather than striving for the seemingly impossible like my brother.

A Village like this in our time was nothing more than a pipe dream. To see that my brother’s determination and hope had preserved and effectively ended what was now called the Warring States Era was nothing short of inspirational.

I had many questions about what had gone on in the years since I had passed. However, there was one thing that had changed that was truly starting to put me off.

My students were keeping something from me.

I could tell that it was not a small matter either.

It had been three days since the Invasion, and one day since Jiraiya had left with a new apprentice of his. The day Jiraiya had left I began to hear hushed rumors that two rogue shinobi had entered the village and had incapacitated one of our top jonin in the process. A man named Kakashi.

And by the way the shinobi were talking, for the man to lose the invaders had to be more than your typical grunts.

When I confronted Hiruzen about the matter all he told me was that the situation had been handled and the circumstances behind it were being investigated. Just from the way he spoke I knew there was something that he was not telling me. And not just him, Koharu and Homura as well. I had caught them arguing with Hiruzen more than once since the incident, and my annoyance at being left in the dark was growing.

Whatever it was it had to be something they were too ashamed to inform me about. Though how that could be I could not discern.

“Could one of the rogues be yet another missing-ninja from the Village?” I wondered. It was possible.

Of course that was only one of the few things that I had noticed about the Village that had been bothering me.

One of the three most obvious questions nagging at my thoughts was the fourth face on the Hokage Mountain.

I had already concluded that there was a reason behind Saru still acting as Hokage at his age. There _had_ been a Fourth Hokage. And he was mostly likely dead. Forcing Saru back into the role of Hokage.

Though that was just one of the many questions I sought after, and would have answered.

I teleported myself to the Hokage’s Office determined to finally pin down a few answers out of my secretive ex-student.

Appearing at the office in an instant, I saw that Hiruzen was finishing up a stack of paperwork.

That was one thing I would not miss about the position.

Yes the Hokage is responsible for the safety of the Village, but really the Hokage position was more of a glorified desk job than anything else.

“Hiruzen” I said, trying to make sure that I had his attention.

“Sensei. What can I do for you?” Hiruzen acknowledged.

“I have a few questions that I’d like answered” I stated bluntly, not one to beat around the bush.

Hiruzen nodded as if he had expected as much.

“And I shall answer them to the best of my ability” Hiruzen replied in turn.

I decided to start with one of my easier questions as it was eating at me the most.

“Saru, why can I not sense much Senju chakra within the Village? I only sensed perhaps twenty Senju within our borders” I asked him, very concerned for my Clan.

I had wanted to meet the current generation of my family, only to reach out with my senses and find that the Senju chakra within the Village was almost non-existent.

Hiruzen froze as if he had been caught within a genjutsu.

“Saru?” I said warily, my voice bringing him out of him shock.

Hiruzen brought out his pipe and gave it a long drawn out breath.

“I am sorry Sensei. During the Second and Third Wars many high profile clans were targeted. Virtually all the men were killed out in battle, and the majority of the children were born female and had predominantly married outside the clan. As of right now there are only ten individuals who go by the surname Senju” Hiruzen explained apologetically.

I shut my eyes in sorrow and frustration at the new information. My family, one of the oldest and most acclaimed clans, was almost extinct. It was inconceivable!

Ten.

There was only Ten members of my family left.

My grand-niece being one of them. And I hadn’t sensed Nawaki’s chakra within the Village either. Nor was he mentioned to be traveling with Tsunade. Which begged another question I was not sure I wanted answered.

Opening my eyes I steeled myself for the worst.

“And what of my descendants?” I asked him.

I watched as the sadness in Hiruzen’s eyes increased ten-fold, telling me everything that I needed to know.

“Sensei…” Hiruzen said lowly.

“I have no living descendants” I said sorrowfully.

The realization hurt more than anything. When I had been younger I hadn’t wanted to have children for the sole reason that I didn’t want to watch them die at the hands of an enemy before they were even ten years old. When the Village was founded it opened up the possibility that I would be able to watch my children have their own children without that fear.

To find out that I had no living descendants realized what I had feared most.

“Sensei –”

“There are other things to tend to then my feelings Hiruzen” I cut him off, not wanting to discuss the subject any further.

“Your great-grandson is still alive” Hiruzen declared firmly.

My eyes snapped to his in shock.

“What!?” I demanded.

“You do have a living descendant sensei” Hiruzen reiterated unwaveringly.

“I have a great-grandson?! Who? What is his name?” I all but demanded.

“His name is Naruto. He is a twelve year old genin. He was actually a participant in the Chunin Exams before the invasion cancelled it” Hiruzen said with a smile.

“Naruto” I said, testing the name on my tongue.

“Do you know where his residence is?” I asked hopefully.

“Unfortunately Naruto is currently away with Jiraiya on their mission so you will have to wait until they return to meet him” Hiruzen said with a light chuckle.

“Jiraiya? You mean the new apprentice he was speaking of was my great-grandson?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes. Depending on how long it takes for them to find Tsunade will determine when you will get to meet him” Hiruzen replied.

I nodded in understanding.

A part of me wished that I had gone along with the man to retrieve my grand-niece so that I could’ve spent time with my only two closely related living relatives.

“S-sensei?” Hiruzen stammer slightly.

My attention immediately went back to my former student.

In all the time I had known him Hiruzen rarely ever stammered. He had always been a fairly confident youth. So whatever he was about to tell me I immediately knew that it was something I wasn’t going to like.

“What is it Saru?” I inquired.

“There are…things you need to know about Naruto’s…situation before you meet him” Hiruzen said carefully.

I frowned at his statement, narrowing my eyes suspiciously at him.

“What exactly do you mean by _situation_?” I said coldly.

“A little over twelve and a half years ago the Nine-tails broke free of its jinchuriki and attacked the village” Hiruzen began ominously.

“The Nine-tails!? How? Was it Mito? Did she pass suddenly?” I questioned.

Hiruzen shook his head no.

“She had died sixteen years prior. The jinchuriki at the time was a woman by the name of Kushina Uzumaki, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze’s wife…Your grandson’s wife” Hiruzen said, dropping one of the many proverbial bombs to come.

My eyes widened at the newest world spinning information.

My grandson was the Fourth Hokage.

Pride swelled in my chest at the thought that my grandson ended up in the same position I had once held myself. Of course the feeling was squashed just as quickly when I realized something else.

“He’s dead”

Hiruzen sighed.

“Yes. When the Nine-tails attacked he gave his life to reseal it into a new jinchuriki” Hiruzen explained.

I nodded solemnly.

“Judging from the timeline and the fact that my grandson didn’t go by the surname Senju I can only assume that the situation you were speaking of is that Naruto does not know that he is related to the Senju clan?” I inquired.

Hiruzen shuffled a bit uncomfortably in his chair.

“You’re on the right track. Your son married a woman by the name of Sora Namikaze. On his birth certificate your grandson’s name is Minato Senju. However, during the period he was born, high profile clans were being targeted so while he was officially a Senju, publicly he went by his mother’s clan name of Namikaze at the request of his father because he feared for his son’s life” Hiruzen replied.

I hummed in distaste at the similarities to my own childhood.

“The…situation comes into play in who Minato chose to be the current jinchuriki” Hiruzen said slowly.

I looked at him confused for a moment before the realization hit me like a Rock Avalanche jutsu.

“Naruto is the Nine-tail’s jinchuriki” I said in stunned disbelief.

“Yes he is. He was born on the day it broke free from his mother and it was sealed into him by his own father that same day” Hiruzen said sadly.

“Naruto blames himself for his parents’ deaths doesn’t he?” I asked.

Rather than the sad look I expected to receive, Hiruzen winced instead, confusing me.

“Naruto doesn’t know who his parents are” Hiruzen said slowly.

I just looked at my former student in shock. There was no possible way I could have heard him correctly.

“What do you mean he doesn’t know who his _parents_ are Sarutobi?” I said menacingly.

Hiruzen flinched slightly at my anger.

“Despite my misgivings the Elder Council decided that the boy’s heritage was to be kept a secret from everyone, including him. And while his name on his birth certificate is Naruto Senju, the only name he knows of is the name he goes by, Naruto Uzumaki” Hiruzen explained with a bitter edge to his tone.

“But why?” I demanded.

“For the same reason your son told Minato to go by Namikaze. Your grandson had amassed a great number of enemies during the Third War and I have no doubt that if they knew Minato had a child his enemies would have gone after him” Hiruzen explained.

I nodded in reluctant understanding.

It irritated me to no end, but I could see the practicality of it. But as I rationalized it to myself I also realized something else. Something that for Hiruzen’s sake better not be what he was referring to as Naruto’s _situation_.

I glared icily at Hiruzen who actually flinched a bit at my rapid change in mood.

“If his heritage was kept a secret, then with whom did my _orphaned_ great-grandson reside with?” I demanded.

My anger only spiked when Hiruzen closed his eyes at my question.

“The Council decreed that no one from a clan was allowed to adopt Naruto as to not upset the balance of power. So naturally I was denied custody as well as Naruto’s godmother. And even though he was his godfather Jiraiya couldn’t take in Naruto due to needing to run his spy network. So he was transferred to the Konoha Orphanage. Of course due to his status none of the civilians adopted him” Hiruzen said sorrowfully.

My anger rose another notch.

“His status as a jinchuriki was made public!?” I demanded fiercely.

Hiruzen nodded a solemn yes.

“Why would you do such a thing!? It is a known fact that jinchuriki are isolated and feared by the mass majority of the villagers who know of their status” I chastised.

“It was Minato’s last wish for the public to treat Naruto as a hero rather than a monster. Of course due to the damage the Fox had caused the public refused to honor such a request even if it was by their beloved Fourth Hokage. As such I passed a law that banned anyone from speaking of Naruto’s status as a jinchuriki in the hopes that he would still be able to make friends his own age. Of course it did not work out that way. The parents’ hatred towards Naruto was picked up unconsciously by their children which led to Naruto being alone and treated horribly virtually his entire life” Hiruzen said regretfully.

Not caring about the consequences I let my chakra flare out in all its power at my fury of the injustice of it all.

I felt the floor and walls crack apart around me in my anger, and yet I still couldn't care less. I expected much more from this Village. From the people here. This Village was founded on the hope that children could just be children and not have to worry about anything other than what they were going to play that afternoon.

To hear that my own great-grandson, the son of the Fourth Hokage no-less, had no doubt been abused and isolated with no one to be there for him was infuriating. And I was under no delusions that assassination attempts had probably taken place as well.

The thought of someone from this very Village trying to murder my own blood was the breaking point for me.

Making a decision I reluctantly lowered my killing intent.

“I’m taking responsibility for Naruto. He is to reside with me at my old residence assuming that it is still available. I do not care if his immediate heritage is not revealed publicly as of right now. However, Naruto _will_ be told the truth, and if he is willing, his birth name and relation to me will be made public as well” I said, my tone leaving no room for opposition.

Hiruzen had only begun to un-tense his body from the onslaught of my chakra.

“That is fine. Your and Hashirama’s residences were both left alone by the Interim Senju Clan Head. And so long as Naruto is alright with it, you may do as you please” Hiruzen agreed.

I nodded, and began to turn away, intending to go elsewhere to both cool off and collect my thoughts.

“Sensei…” Hiruzen said. I turned my attention back to my wary student.

For the first time since the start of our conversation I realized just how old he really was now.

“Now that you know about Naruto I can tell you what happened regarding the incident yesterday” Hiruzen stated.

“And what connection would Naruto have to the two infiltrating shinobi?” I questioned.

“Jiraiya is the Village’s top spymaster. According to his Intel they were from an organization called the Akatsuki” Hiruzen said.

“Akatsuki? What kind of organization are we talking about here?” I inquired.

“The kind of organization where all the members are high profile S-class criminals, all listed in the Bingo Book” Hiruzen said seriously.

My eyes narrowed at the knowledge that two major criminals had entered the Village without any opposition, and cursed myself for missing such a thing.

“What are they after?” I asked.

“The reason Jiriaya has not discovered yet, but they are after all the Tailed Beasts. Which means –”

“They’re after Naruto” I grit out.

Hiruzen nodded.

“Luckily Jiraiya caused them to retreat before they could take him” Hiruzen stated.

I growled in frustration.

To say I that I regret not going to retrieve Tsunade would be an understatement. I could have lost my great-grandson without ever getting the chance to meet him…or know that he existed.

Because if Hiruzen had only reluctantly told me of Naruto because I had pressured him, I had no doubt that he would have kept my relation to him a secret had he been killed.

“I need a moment to collect myself. I will reconvene with you at a later time”

Hiruzen nodded in understanding, his eyes practically screaming in apology.

With that I took off with my Flying Thunder God technique. I needed a moment from the Village in order to vent my frustrations.

But somehow, even with my jutsu I couldn’t reach the outskirts fast enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It made no sense to me why there wasn't a modern day Senju clan still in existence like the Uchiha. So this was my attempt at explaining both the lack of Senju and introducing what should have been the Senju clan members that were still living. Further explanations will be given later on.
> 
> Naruto is Tobirama's great-grandson! Makes sense to me! Lol


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

It had taken me a good few hours to calm my anger and frustration yesterday.

The end result? The Leaf Village now has a new reservoir connecting to Naka River.

After calming myself to the point I could think rationally once more, I teleported to my old residence. I half expected it to be layered under dust, or perhaps even used as a storage space. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that my old home had not only been kept up, but it looked as though nothing had been changed or moved since I had last resided in it.

In my mind I had already decided that Naruto would come to live with me.

So, I decided to spend the remainder of the day rearranging one of my storage rooms to accommodate him.

Of course during that I realized that I knew absolutely nothing about my great-grandson other than that he had been neglected, alone, was a genin, and is currently wanted by a criminal organization. Nothing that would really help me in knowing what food to buy, or what he liked to do in his spare time.

The only real hint I managed to obtain so far about Naruto’s past came from the Interim Senju clan Head Akio who had come to see who had invaded the Clan Compound.

_*Flashback*_

_“You are trespassing on the Senju Compound. State your purpose here” a voice behind me said warningly._

_I turned from my crouched position to face the man. He was a little more than average height with pale skin, and dark brown hair and green eyes._

_A shocked look came over his face as he no doubt recognized who I was._

_“My apologies Lord Tobirama. I did not know that it was you” he apologized, giving me a shallow bow._

_“It is fine. You were merely doing your duties” I told him as I stood._

_“I was not sure if the rumors of your return were to be believed or not, but clearly they were true” he said in awe._

_“I can say for certain that I had not planned to come back in such a way” I remarked._

_“Of course. Is there anything I can help you with my Lord?” he asked._

_“Yes actually. I need to speak with whomever is currently in charge of the clan” I asked._

_“That’d be me my Lord. I am Akio Senju, the Interim clan Head until Tsunade decides to return” he introduced._

_“Very well then. I wish to take my great-grandson into my residence once he returns from his mission” I requested of him._

_Sure I had been one of the leaders of the Clan back when I was alive, but now I was no longer so, and former Clan Head or not, I needed the current Clan Head’s approval for my actions, Interim Head or not._

_“Ah. You must be speaking of Naruto” Akio said in unsurprised recognition._

_My eyes widened for a faction of a moment before I narrowed them at Akio._

_“You knew that Naruto was my great-grandson?” I stated, a light warning in my tone for him to answer carefully._

_Akio nodded regretfully._

_“I deduced his relation to Minato as he got older. Appearance wise the boy’s a miniature clone of his father. I’m pretty sure most of the major Clan Heads have figured it out as well” Akio stated._

_“If you knew then why didn’t you do anything to help him?” I demanded._

_Akio flinched a bit at the accusation._

_“When I first realized his relation I confronted the Third Hokage about it. In order to keep the balance of the clans, and Naruto safe from his father’s enemies his heritage was kept a secret. Which meant that I was not able to take him into the Clan even if I had wanted to” Akio said, trying in vain to defend himself._

_“But you still did nothing to help him despite it” I accused._

_He nodded._

_“I won’t say that I hadn’t basically ignored him, but I didn’t treat him like the majority of villagers did either” Akio said, trying to defend himself._

_“Doing nothing is the same as if you had physically hurt him” I lightly chastised._

_He sighed._

_“I won’t say that us Clan Heads didn’t drop the ball on this. Hell we dropped it so far that at this point it's already exited the other end of the Earth and is still going. I had a vain hope that my eldest might befriend him when Naruto had gotten dropped down into his grade, but in the end he mimicked his classmates who had learned to hate Naruto from their parents” Akio said bitterly._

_I took a moment to grit my teeth over that before my eyes narrowed at his words._

_“What do you mean he was dropped down?” I questioned, hoping to dig up some more information on my descendent._

_“From what I understand Naruto started at the Academy at a much younger age than most students. Since he was younger and less experienced he was dropped down to a grade under him, twice I think, before he finally managed to stick within a class of his own age group” Akio explained._

_My face scrunched in confusion. Just how young had my great-grandson been for that to happen? If things had remained the same the induction age should still be six years old._

_The realization that my great-grandson had probably been trained as a shinobi from as young an age as my brothers and I had been, caused an involuntary twitch in my eye._

_Something told me that Hiruzen and I were going to be having a great many more unpleasant discussions in the future._

_*End Flashback*_

However, I was not entirely ready to speak with Hiruzen again yet.

I could tell there were other things going on that Hiruzen doesn't wish to admit to me. The amnesty between him, Koharu and Homura being enough of an indication.

From what I could tell so far there was so much darkness hidden in the shadows of the Village I wasn't sure that I would be able to control my anger enough not retaliate against all that threatened it.

Today I decided to take the time to familiarize myself with the changes in the layout of the Village. Walking around would also confirm to the villagers that I had in fact returned from the dead (sort of), and that I was still within a seat of power within the government (as a retired Kage/advisor).

This recognition would be key once I took in Naruto.

The reactions of those I passed along the street were an amusing bonus.

If I were to describe the changes in the Village with one word it would be larger.

Everything had been expanded upon. The Academy, the training grounds, the library, and the land the Leaf Village occupied in general had expanded. Even the number of clans within it had increased.

Back in my time the only other clans that had settled within the Village were the Sarutobi, Shimura, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Inuzuka, Aburame, Hatake, Hyuga, Nohara, and Hoki (though the clan apparently no longer resided in the Village).

So during my stroll I was surprised to discover that not only had the Akado and Izumo clans joined the Village, but as I walked around to all of the districts I noticed a few areas that contained clan symbols that I didn't recognize at all.

Figuring out who they were was definitely at the higher end of my list. But for right now I paused to look at my final stop in the clan districts.

The Uchiha compound.

The Uchihas had been the third and final major concern that I never got around to asking Hiruzen about.

I had felt even fewer of them within the Village than I had Senju.

At first I had speculated that the Clan may have left the Village and gone elsewhere, but after hearing Hiruzen’s answer about the Senju, I decided that it was more likely that they had suffered much of the same fate as my own Clan.

It was an inconceivable irony that the two strongest clans in the world that had survived for hundreds of years and were credited with the creation of shinobi villages, had nearly met their destruction in _ending_ the barbaric warring era.

Still, I was surprised to find that not only had the Uchiha Compound been moved from its original location near the Senju compound, but now it wasn’t much of a compound at all! It contained perhaps maybe ten homes.

Even the Senju still kept their entire compound with the hopes that it could be refilled again someday.

“I can’t imagine how overwhelmed you must feel with all the changes in the Village since your time” a voice said calmly.

I looked over my shoulder to see a young man (definitely an Uchiha) with wavy short black hair and strikingly accentuated eyes.

Something about this man’s face reminded me of Kagami.

Most Uchihas bear some similarity to each other though, so I brushed his features aside. No, it was the lightness in his expression that I had not seen in many Uchihas.

He was free of his family’s Curse, just as Kagami had been.

“To say that a lot of things have happened since then would be an understatement of a lifetime, wouldn’t you agree?” the young man said.

“Indeed. I apologize for the intrusion, I’ve been trying to re-familiarize myself with the Village. Though I must admit that I do have many questions regarding the clans here” I replied.

He nodded in understanding.

“I’m guessing you’re talking about the newer districts?” he asked, intentionally not mentioning his own Clan.

“Yes. I did not recognize five of the symbols” I replied, following the direction of the conversation.

“That’s easy enough to explain. Since the Village’s founding some of the shinobi families have been officially recognized as budding clans. Most of them within the last few years” he explained.

My eyes widened in surprise.

The Village created new clans?!

I’d never even thought of that possibility before. Though in theory it was possible. After all, clans have to start somewhere, and everyone is capable of training to use their chakra.

In theory when training for the first time to become shinobi they could possess a bloodline that they’ve always had, but never could use because they’ve never activated their chakra before. Likewise, through ingenuity civilians could create their own hiden techniques as well. The theory definitely tail-spinned away from the view during the Warring Era that non-clan civilians were inferior.

“Would you be able to tell me of these new Clans?” I asked with interest.

He nodded, a smile growing on his face.

“Well first we have the Umino clan. They have their own hiden water style jutsu, but what really got them recognized was their Clan’s secret echolocation technique where they can get a sonar map of the surrounding area” he explained.

“Is it an evolution of the sensing technique?” I asked him curiously.

“Possibly, but ya know, secret clan technique and all, I wouldn’t know” he said teasingly.

I chuckled at his teasing.

“Next we have the Gekko clan. They created their own hiden techniques with swords. Their member Hayate Gekko was the one who took their techniques to the level of clan worthy. He died at the hands of the Sand and Sound when he discovered their invasion plans earlier on during the Exams” he said somberly.

I gave a silent thanks to the man for giving his life to try and protect the Village.

“Then we have the Lee clan. They’re definitely an interesting bunch. They actually received clan status a few months ago. They’re currently a low prestige clan where all the members are born with little to no ability to use ninjutsu or genjutsu” he said smiling, knowing he had caught my interest.

“No _ninjutsu_ or _genjutsu_? How can they possibly perform as shinobi?” I asked, completely baffled.

“Because their taijutsu is that exceptional. They actually just recently built a dojo. Plus, they have the natural ability to instinctively use all of the Eight Inner Gates” he explained.

“ _All_ of the Eight Inner Gates?! Mere effort alone isn’t capable of such an ability” I say surprised.

“Believe me, if you’re going to be hanging around for a while you’ll have the chance to experience one of their _enthusiastic_ younger members and his even more enthusiastic sensei who’s also a descendent of the Clan” he said smiling with a mirth that hinted at some kind of inside joke.

“Next up would be the Yanagikage clan. They specialize in the research of concealed weapons. Their research led to the creation of the Ninjutsu Research Center, also known as the Scientific Ninja Tool Research lab. They work closely with the Takumi Family weapon-makers who supply them them with the ninja tools they need to experiment with” the Uchiha explained.

“What types of instruments has the Center created?” I asked curiously.

“Too many to say. Anything ranging from shuriken launchers, kunai springs, standard chakra blades, and wireless radios to the equipment medical shinobi use at the Hospital and the Mind Reading Amplification machine Inoichi Yamanaka uses in his interrogations” he detailed.

“Incredible” I muttered, thinking of just how much technology has advanced since my death.

“You can say that again. Once the Hidden Villages were established non-shinobi have been creating all sorts of advancements in technology. Computers, television, satellite, videos, movie theaters, and cameras. We could talk all day and still not get through everything” the young man said smiling.

“Indeed. Back when I was a child the most technological item we owned was an oil lamp” I jested wryly.

The young Uchiha chuckled at my light humor.

“And finally we have the Haruno clan. They’re a bit different. They were already an established family that had descended from a long line of Ninshu monks. You can usually identify them by their pink hair. The last few generations broke away from their ninshu roots to become shinobi here” he explained.

If I was recalling things correctly there was a Nishu Monk that had emigrated to the Village back when the Village was first being formed. Personally I never interacted with him myself, though his children had been in Saru’s class.

“They’re a low to mid prestige clan known for their chakra control, near eidetic memory, and their skills in analyzing their opponent’s jutsu. Recently their clan’s been confirmed to possess a unique brain-chakra based kekkei genkai” he explained.

“Is it a new type of dojutsu?” I asked. Most, if not all brain-affecting kekkei genkai will usually display themselves through the eyes.

“Actually, no. it’s something more akin to the Yamanaka clan techniques, only in reverse” he said, contemplating on how to explain it.

“Intriguing” I muttered. I wonder how it’s activated?

“Their current heiress started getting her clan more recognition for her matches in the last Chunin Exam” he said proudly (Almost boasting. _Almost_ ).

“You seem to know a bit more regarding this Clan” I inquired.

“Just a bit. The clan’s heiress is on my baby cousin’s genin team” he answered, looking a little sheepish.

I nodded in understanding.

“Your great-grandson’s team too actually” he said casually.

Startled, I immediately gave him my full _piercing_ attention.

“Relax. I was one of Naruto’s four ANBU guards” he said, trying to appease my hostility.

“One of his…guards?” I questioned skeptically.

“Somebody had to make sure Naruto wasn’t ‘accidentally’ killed” he said bitterly.

I sneered at the implication.

“So Saru told those on his ANBU detail” I stated.

“No. The four of us assigned to Naruto were special cases. We were selected because we each had our own personal connection to Naruto’s family, and could be trusted to protect him” he corrected.

“Personal connection?” I questioned.

“Dog was a former student of Naruto’s father, Bear is a Senju and is friends with Dog, Crow is his god-brother, and I’m his god-cousin” Shisui stated matter-of-factly.

The last two immediately grabbed my attention.

“God…cousin?” I said, slightly amused.

He just humphed.

“No matter what legalities say it’s a thing” he said, irritated in an almost goofy way, “My aunt Mikoto was best friends with Naruto’s mother and was given the honor of being his god-mother, but…”

“But no one from a Clan was allowed to adopt him” I finished.

He nodded.

“Although Sasuke, that’s his teammate, doesn’t know about the connection. But Itachi and I do. It’s why when the two of us became ANBU we asked to be on his protection detail. Of course the rule went that if we were on his detail we had to watch him from the shadows, and we couldn’t interact with him outside of it” he said tightly.

“So as to not reveal your undercover identity” I finished gruffly.

“Yup. Anyway, not to cut this short, but I’ve got a mission I need to start getting ready for. It was nice meeting you Lord Second. I think you’ll be exactly what Naruto needs” he said starting to walk into the Uchiha compound.

“Oh! If you want to learn a bit more about Naruto, I recommend that you go to Ichiraku Ramen. It’s his favorite place to eat” he said.

“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you. I’m afraid I never asked you for your name” I say to him. He smiled a toothy grin.

“Shisui. Shisui Uchiha”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed learning a bit more about this corrected world.
> 
> *The Lee clan was mentioned in Boruto so I made them a newly aknowledged 'lesser' clan in part 1  
> *Kokage Yanagikage is actually mentioned in the data books as being part of a clan so I aknowledged that here.  
> *There are subtle hints in the manga etc that Kishimoto initially planned to officially include a Haruno clan instead of imply it, but never did because he didn't think anyone would care if he expanded Sakura's background at that point (a fact he has mentioned a few times in interviews). So I just followed through with his initial plans.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> I know this is a bit slower paced for now, but I promise things are going to start moving after this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

Taking the young Uchiha’s advice I went to locate the Ramen shop.

As I passed through all the market places and restaurants I couldn’t help but feel a renewed pride in the realization of my elder brother’s dream.

Passing by Yakiniku Q I took notice of a genin team having what seemed like a typical team argument, but anyone who looked close enough could tell there wasn’t any real heat in it.

Interestingly though, from their appearance they appeared to be from the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans. And if they were all on the same team together than that meant that they were most likely the clan heirs.

If I was correct than it hopefully meant that women were now more readily accepted as heirs.

Continuing my trek I passed by Yamanaka Flowers in time to see a young kunoichi leave the store with three daffodils.

What caught my attention however were her clothes and hair. Cherry blossom pink hair, and a pink and red t-shirt with a red circular symbol on the back, tight black shorts, light pink wrist warmers, and a white scarf with cherry blossom patterns.

Pink hair…Shisui had said that Naruto’s teammate was a female Haruno. I filed away her appearance to memory in case I ended up seeing her again.

The Village had grown spectacularly since my death. All the civilians and different shinobi, both clanless and otherwise, living together without conflict.

If anyone had told me as a child that the Senju and Uchiha clans would create a village and live peacefully together with other clans that have spent who knows how many hundreds of years trying to kill each other, he would have scoffed at them. And yet here I was, walking through a market place filled with people my father would have called his enemies. My brother truly did create something beautiful, despite all the odds he had stacked against him. He may have been an idiot, but there is something to be said for someone with that kind of determination.

“Come again!” a voice shouted out.

Breaking out of my thoughts I looked over to see the very restaurant I'd been looking for.

“You know I will” a cheerful voice sounded.

A young shinobi (at least chunin) with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and a vertical scar across his nose stepped out of the bar and jumped away from the establishment.

I proceeded to stroll over to the bar table, lifting the flags away from my face as I walked in.

“Excuse me” I said to the man behind the counter.

“I’ll be right with ya. Have a seat and I’ll take your order” the man said with a smile.

“Thank you, but I’m actually here to ask you a few questions” I say to him.

“Really now? Then what can I help you with…”

“Tobirama” I filled in for him.

“Ah. So you’re the one everyone’s talking about” the man realized.

“I can only assume so” I replied, “Though I am curious how you pieced that together so quickly”

“No matter what anybody says you shinobi gossip just as much as civilians do. There isn’t much I don’t pick up on around here” the man said with a hint of humor.

“Indeed” I said smirking at the truth in his words.

“The name’s Teuchi by the way. So, what do you wanna know?” Teuchi asked.

“It’s actually about one of your customers. Naruto Uzumaki” I answered.

His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

“What about Naruto?” he asked, sounding slightly defensive.

“I’m planning on taking him in. I’ve been trying to find out some more about him” I informed him.

“Is that right? Well, I don’t know how much I can tell you, but I’ll tell you what I can. It’s about time someone started actually looking out for the kid” Teuchi comments.

“What’d you mean?” I asked curiously, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer or not.

“The first time I met Naruto was when he was four years old. I would catch him looking at the store from a distance, but never coming in. One day when the shop was empty I waved him over and he ran away scared. He came back a few minutes later and I managed to get him to take a seat and give him a bowl of ramen” Teuchi said, giving a sad pause in his tale.

I chose not to interrupt him.

“You know most people these days take the food in front of them for granted. Every time I saw him Naruto always looked so hungry it made me mad that a parent could be so neglectful. Of course after I started serving him citizens started coming by and threatening to shut down my shop if I didn’t stop” Teuchi said bitterly.

“Because of the Nine-tails” I said angrily.

“So you know about that huh? Guess I shouldn’t be surprised. But, yeah. That’s how I found out. I was wary after that, but no matter what, I saw him as a starving child first. I knew that my ramen was probably only hot meal he was getting, so I told all of them to shove it, and if they threatened my shop or Naruto again I was going straight to the Hokage. Needless to say, my shop mostly served shinobi from that point on” Teuchi finished.

Fury boiled in my blood at the injustice of it all.

“Thank you for taking care of my great-grandson” I told him appreciatively.

“No thanks are needed. I really didn’t do much. Even back then Naruto was pretty self-sufficient. He already knew how to fish, and had learned how to use the plants in the forest to make soups for himself. He even started his own little garden” Teuchi praised.

“He shouldn’t have had to learn how to feed himself” I thought bitterly.

“So I take it he comes here often?” I asked him.

“You better believe he does. He’s our best customer after all” Teuchi answered with a fond smile, “Actually you just missed one of his Academy teachers Iruka Umino. He’s the one who passed Naruto. He’s a regular here too”

I thought back to the young shinobi who had left the shop right before I came in.

“Is Naruto close to this man?” I asked him, curious.

“Oh yeah. Iruka’s kind of like that parent figure he never had” Teuchi praised.

“Really now? That is relieving to hear” I say, glad that there was someone who openly treated my great-grandson right. Though it also brought up more questions that only Saru would be able to answer. It was high time I stopped stalling and just confronted him.

“Thank you for your assistance. You’ve definitely been helpful” I tell him gratefully.

“Sure thing. If you’re really taking Naruto in then I guess I’ll be seeing you around” Teuchi said, waving me off with his ladle.

I nodded and teleported away to the Hokage’s office.

I still wasn’t happy, but the more information I uncover on my own just continues to displease me anyway. So I might as well just have it all said to me at once and then stew in my rage for a while…Otherwise the landscape of the Leaf won’t survive. The Village might actually end up underwater.

Not a second later since I teleported from Ichiraku, my feet tapped against the wood in front of the Hokage’s desk.

“Sensei” Hiruzen acknowledged.

“I’d like to know more about my kin” I bluntly declared, cutting right to the chase.

“I figured you’d eventually come to ask” Hiruzen admitted sadly, if not slightly relieved that I was speaking to him again.

“What would you like to know first?” he asked.

I paused for a moment to think. I wanted to ask about his personal interests, but I that felt like something more for me to ask Naruto himself rather than Saru. Though I’m not sure if I could handle just asking about things I know will probably just anger me in the end.

“I’d like to know his hobbies, goals or dreams, his Academy grades, his currents skills, team, and mission experience” I requested all at once.

“He enjoys gardening and pranks. He’s actually infamous among the chunin, and ANBU for his mischief making. The ANBU calls him the Trickster, while the regular core calls him the Orange Terror” Hiruzen said smirking.

I raised an amused eyebrow. “The _Orange_ Terror?” I questioned, curious how he got that specific title.

Hiruzen scoffed a bit.

“As you can imagine Naruto was not liked by the citizens by any stretch of the imagination. So he took to pranking as a way to get _some_ kind of attention, even if it was negative” Hiruzen stated flatly.

I grit my teeth at that.

“As for orange. Well…shopkeepers were no different. So whatever clothes they didn’t want, Naruto got. Needless to say when he realized the hideous kill-me orange jumpsuit he was forced to buy got people’s attention he started wearing it all the time. Luckily Kakashi managed to convince him to change his attire a bit. He’s still wearing orange, but a lot less of it compared to before” Hiruzen said exasperatedly.

I couldn’t help the twitch in my eye at his description of my great-grandson’s attire choices.

“Of all the colors, it had to be one of the most un-shinobi like ones” I thought.

Orange was good for grabbing people’s attention, but as a shinobi the point was not to be noticed.

I exhaled a sigh. Well, I’ll broach the subject of attires with Naruto when I cross that road.

“And his dreams or goals for the future?” I ask Saru.

“I think you’ll be pleased to know Naruto strives to be the next Hokage” Hiruzen said smiling.

I looked at him in shock.

“Is that so?” I say, smiling a bit myself.

“He is on Team 7 headed by the Jonin sensei Kakashi Hatake. His teammates are Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno” Hiruzen relayed.

“Just as Shisui Uchiha had said” I thought.

“This Kakashi, he was the one who was injured fighting the two invading shinobi after Naruto correct?” I asked.

Hiruzen nodded.

“Kakashi is one of our best shinobi. He graduated from the Academy at five, became a chunin at six, a jonin at thirteen, an ANBU at fourteen, and a Captain by the time he was fifteen. He was also your grandson’s student” Hiruzen detailed, no doubt trying to explain why the man was qualified to teach my blood.

It was admittedly a slight struggle to keep my deadpan expression. As impressive as his record was, it also went against my brother and I’s hope that children would be able to remain off the battlefield for a good number of years. Though I should’ve guessed that things wouldn’t be so simply solved.

“And his time at the Academy? I heard from the Ramen shop owner Teuchi that Naruto was close to a teacher named Iruka Umino” I inquired.

Saru nodded, though his expression had gone solemn.

“There is something you need to understand about Naruto’s time at the Academy Sensei” Hiruzen began.

“Does it have to do with why he was held back a few times?” I inquired.

Hiruzen did his best to control his grimace.

“Yes. Naruto started at the Academy when he was four years old” Hiruzen regretfully revealed.

My eyes narrowed at him in anger.

“Why would he start so early?! Acceptance age isn’t until they are six” I demanded.

Hiruzen flinched at my anger.

“Those that start in the Academy are allowed to leave the Orphanage and live on their own if they wish to” Hiruzen replied.

“Let me guess. He was being mistreated at the Orphanage so he chose to start up in the Academy early. How was he even admitted at that age?” I demanded through grit teeth.

“Naruto had been training himself since he was two, so he met the physical requirements needed of him” Hiruzen said, trying to hide a hint of pride for fear of my reaction.

Personally I was torn between pride and a deep anger that my kin had started training as young as my brother and I.

“Continue” I told him.

Hiruzen let out a breath he had been holding. A part of me felt bad for giving my student so much grief at his age, yet I cannot change how I feel. The only thing to do was to push forward and hope I could still look in my student’s eyes without expressing disappointment.

“Naruto was initially very enthusiastic about his studies. However…he met a great many roadblocks that affected him into his later years” Hiruzen said hesitantly.

“Explain” I demanded tersely.

“Of all the children in his generation, Naruto without a doubt has the most potential. However, much of his skills and development as a person were stunted because of the teachers at the Academy” Hiruzen said bitterly.

“What!?”

“The teachers would purposefully give him harder tests, or just flat out graded his tests incorrectly. They purposefully taught him incorrect stances and katas, and never answered any of his questions in class, nor did they teach him proper handling with shurikenjutsu. In addition, the aids at the Leaf Village Orphanage would not teach him to read or write so Naruto had to teach himself. Of course the Academy instructors just assumed that all children were taught those skills prior to coming to the Academy so they didn’t help him either. Naruto was already two years behind all his peers in age, so this educational gap only meant that Naruto was hindered even further. Not to mention he had the chakra reserves of a civilian genin when he was four and no training in chakra control. This caused him to be unable to perform the basic ninjutsu properly. In addition, the social isolation caused Naruto to have social deficits. All this made Naruto seem like a talentless loser, so he just stopped trying with his written studies altogether and focused on his other skills” Hiruzen said sadly (and angrily), bracing himself for the volcanic eruption that was no doubt about to ensue.

He could only pray that his Sensei didn’t go and reduce the Academy to rubble and slaughter every teacher within his line of vision.

If people were to ask me what I was thinking after Hiruzen had finished his explanation of my kin’s time in the Academy I would have to say that nothing had gone through my mind. No thoughts whatsoever. Just a haze of emotion. There was no words. Just raw emotion.

All my life I prided myself on being calm and collected. Even at my most furious I still retained my mental faculties. Never in my life had I ever been reduced to something as uncouth as mindless blind rage.

And that’s exactly what it was.

Nothing registered in my vision nor hearing. The world was just _red_.

If asked I couldn’t say what I did, nor how long I was in that state. When I finally started coming to my senses I saw a platform and open sky. Saru was in front of me, kneeling with his hands on the ground and seals covering the floor. Looking around I saw the seals made a circle around me with three different ANBU positioned at each of the sides.

I recognized the circle as a Chakra Containment Seal. A powerful one at that.

Taking a better look around I realized that the so called platform was what remained of the Hokage’s office.

Stunned I realized that it was _my_ chakra that had blown apart the Hokage’s office in my enraged state.

Growling in disappointment at myself I took a deep breath before gazing back at Hiruzen.

“I am under control now Saru you can drop the Seal. I can promise you such an action will not happen again” I said stiffly.

Untensing Hiruzen stood up from his position, releasing his part of the seal, and making the jutsu dissolve.

“Lord Hokage is this wise? This is the second time that –”

“Cat that is enough. Lord Tobirama has very good reasons for his anger. If he says that it will not happen again it will not” Hiruzen commanded, cutting Cat off.

I glanced over at the young purple haired ANBU woman. I had already felt out the chakra of all the ANBU, but hers left me having to reanalyze it.

Sure enough I identified the disturbance in her chakra.

“As a newly pregnant woman you should be more careful” I reprimanded, keeping my eyes on her.

She tensed. Though I couldn’t see her expression behind her mask, I could tell it was one of shock.

“I’m…” Cat said, not able to bring herself to finish.

“The three of you are excused” Hiruzen firmly dismissed.

The ANBU nodded (if not reluctantly) and jumped away.

Saru just sighs like he’s getting to old for all of this mess (which he probably is).

“Well, looks like I’m going to have plenty D-rank ‘fix the Hokage’s Office’ missions for the genin to complete” Hiruzen mumbled.

“Saru I –”

“It isn’t your fault Sensei. I expected as much. Really this was better than what I expected” Hiruzen stated truthfully.

“Let us go to the Stone Faces” I declared, teleporting away in shame.

Regardless, of what Saru says I was still frustrated with myself. Never had I felt fury to such a degree before that all my mental faculties had gone out the window. Sure I was in control now, but the whole thing had been a surreal experience. I didn’t even recall the office collapsing from the power of my own chakra.

Sucking in a deep meditative breath I steeled my emotions so that I could continue discussing my great-grandson with Saru like a mature adult, and not some child throwing a temper tantrum.

I stood above my own head, waiting for Saru to arrive. When he finally thudded next to me we stood in silence, gazing out at the expanse of the Village.

“Please tell me you have some good things to say about the Academy. I can’t imagine Naruto liking a teacher who would purposefully sabotage him” I say, still gazing at the peaceful horizon.

“Iruka was probably the only teacher that I can say for certain never sabotaged Naruto. Not even when I first assigned him to the Academy and he had been afraid of him. Because of Iruka, Naruto had the opportunity to graduate when he reached his sixth year mark when he was ten. Despite everything, Naruto passed the written test, albeit barely, he managed to teach himself shurikenjutsu, was able to notice enough levels of genjutsu to pass, his taijutsu was passable, and despite everything he still managed to teach himself the Rope Escape, Substitution, Cloak of Invisibility, Transformation, Unsealing, and Enclosing techniques” Hiruzen relayed with pride.

I couldn’t help, but feel proud of my kin for being able to overcome such difficulty. Even orphans had the help of a teacher. Naruto had no one and yet he still learned.

“However, because of his poor chakra control and large reserves he wasn’t able to do the Clone jutsu, which is the only reason he failed the Exam. It was the same problem for the other years after that. In total he failed the Graduation Exam three times because of it. I’m still not even sure if he can create a Clone” Hiruzen said chuckling.

“If he can’t create Clones then how did he pass?” I questioned him, shocked that he had passed without being able to use one of the basic techniques.

“When Naruto failed the Exam for the third time he was confronted by a teacher who used his situation to his advantage” Hiruzen stated coldly.

I tightened my hands in my crossed arms. “What do you mean?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him.

“One of Naruto’s teachers told him that he could pass the Exam if he learned a jutsu from the Scroll of Seals” Hiruzen said seriously.

“The Scroll of Seals!? Was the instructor a spy?” I demanded urgently.

“A traitor working for Orochimaru. He wanted to give the Scroll to him as a gift. Using Naruto as a scapegoat and killing him afterwards was just an added bonus to him” Hiruzen said tightly.

I closed my eyes in anger.

“Students are taught to trust their teachers, and Mizuki seemed to be fair and nice to him, so Naruto didn’t see any reason not to believe him. He can’t be blamed for a well manipulated plot” Hiruzen stated.

“No he cannot” I agreed bitterly.

The man had taken advantage of Naruto’s loneliness and naivety. Only the lowest of the low would do such a disgusting thing, and to a child no less.

“Naruto managed to get your Clan’s Scroll of Seals. Luckily he only had enough time to master one technique” Hiruzen said, trying to hold back a grin.

“He actually managed to get it out of the Senju Clan Compound?” I stated in disbelief.

Hiruzen chuckled.

“Despite his loud personality Naruto would actually be very well suited to the ANBU or Intelligence Division” Hiruzen praised.

“Really now?” I say disbelievingly.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get a full run down of his skills from Kakashi and Jiraiya once Naruto’s mission is completed” Hiruzen assured me.

“Out of curiosity what was the jutsu he learned?” I asked him.

“Naruto taught himself the reduced seal version of the Multi-Shadow Clone jutsu in less than an hour” Hiruzen proudly declared.

I stared silently at Saru for a moment before I realized he wasn’t kidding.

After I recovered from my shock I smiled along with him.

“That proves his potential right there” I thought to myself.

“He used it to defeat Mizuki when he tried to kill him and Iruka for the Scroll. Iruka gave him a field graduation for it” Hiruzen explained.

My smile grew a tad bit wider at that. “And how long has he been a genin?” I asked.

“A little over seven months now” Hiruzen replied.

“And he was entered in the Chunin Exams so soon?” I questioned curiously.

“Kakashi felt that it would be a good experience for his squad” Hiruzen scoffed.

There was something else in that statement. Less about the squad’s readiness and more something else I probably had yet to be informed about (again). Fighting the urge to sigh I decided that it was just another thing to look into later.

“And his mission record?” I inquired.

“Team 7 has completed thirty-five D-ranks, 1 C-rank, two B-rank, and two A-ranked missions” Hiruzen stated flatly.

After a moment of stunned silence I spoke again.

“I do not believe I heard you correctly. It sounded as if you said that genin completed B and A-ranked missions” I said warningly.

“Two of the missions were initially marked as C. Circumstances bumped up the severity mid-mission for each” Hiruzen said cooly.

“What were the missions?” I asked (demanded), through grit teeth.

“The A-ranked ones were escort and bodyguard missions that ended up involving missing-ninja” Hiruzen explained simply.

I couldn’t help but huff out a sigh.

“And the B-ranks?” I asked.

“The first was more accidental than anything. They ended up running into one of our prison escapees, Mizuki ironically enough, on a D-ranked mission and their Sensei ended up including them in his mission to recapture the convict” Hiruzen stated in exasperation, "The other B-rank was actually intentional...The Frost Daimyo actually requested their Team to escort his daughter..."

“Something tells me you should refrain from giving them any more C-ranked missions” I deadpanned.

“Probably” Hiruzen chuckled.

“At least they all worked out in the end” I thought in bitter relief.

Though I still wasn’t happy about the misranked missions. I needed to devise a way to double check the validity of the missions before shinobi are sent out.

“Sensei I know this is a lot to take in. Maybe we should conclude the questions for today?” Hiruzen requested.

I nodded in agreement.

“Perhaps that would be best. I have a lot I would like to start working on” I exclaimed.

“Such as?” Hiruzen inquired curiously.

“For starters I’d like to reevaluate the Academy if that is alright with you?” I asked him.

“By all means. You were its founder. If anyone has the right to evaluate it, it would be you sensei” Hiruzen stated.

“Then I’ll be off” I said, teleporting off the mountain and into my living space.

Of course my other plans included devising a training regime for Naruto, but I still didn’t know all of his skills so that would have to wait.

I watched as the sun slowly sank lower and lower in the sky. Enveloping the clouds in a myriad of red, pinks and purples.

Sometimes it was better to slow down and process of the information from your day bit by bit rather than taking it in all at once.

Even for someone as fast paced as me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have reached the conclusion of Tobirama's fishing for information.
> 
> Next chapter will include POVs of the other Konoha 11 :)
> 
> And yes, I made the Scroll of Seals a Senju clan object that they keep in the Senju Compound. I did this because I made the Shadow Clone jutsu a Senju clan hiden technique (it never made any sense that the Senju clan never had any hiden techniques).
> 
> *Teuchi's Naruto about how he met Naruto is actually from the short novel Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> Now we are going to get into the POVs of some of the other Konoha 11 and what their thoughts are!
> 
> This is also the final chapter before everything really begins to pick up for the most part! So Yay!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Hiruzen’s POV)**

Paperwork truly was the bane of the Hokage’s existence.

With all the damages to the Village the usual amount had more than tripled. It didn’t help matters that Tobirama-sensei was dumping _very_ detailed plans on my desk for me to review (I suspected it was a subtle form of retribution).

Since the Reanimation jutsu didn’t require him to sleep or eat, Sensei had spent his days coming up with a new curriculum for the Academy, and coming up with suggestions on how to check a mission’s credibility by using Jiraiya’s information network.

Frankly I was just grateful Sensei hadn’t harmed anyone in his (rightful) anger...yet.

I knew that I had failed Naruto miserably.

It was one of my greatest regrets in life. Right up there with letting Orochimaru go.

If I could turn back time and ensure that no one discovered Naruto’s status I would do so in a heartbeat.

I let out a long drag of my pipe.

I had made so many mistakes in my lifetime.

Naruto. Orochimaru. The Uchiha. Danzo.

That man was another issue altogether.

I knew my old friend hadn’t disbanded ROOT like I had ordered after the Uchiha Massacre.

And Danzo knew that I knew.

The two of us have been stubbornly pushing back and forth at each other for as long as I could remember.

I speculated that Danzo was illegally going behind my back, however, my old friend was nothing if not thorough. I could speculate all I wanted, but until I had something concrete that proved that Danzo needed to be restrained, I could do nothing.

To top it all off Homura and Koharu leaned more towards Danzo’s ideals than my own.

I knew Sensei was curious about my obviously strained relationship with my former teammates.

How Sensei would react to Danzo was another problem.

The man had barely come out of his hiding place to even acknowledge Tobirama-sensei’s return.

That probably meant that he was planning something and wouldn’t reveal himself again until the time suited him.

Until then, it was a waiting game.

“Ribbit”

I turned in my chair to see a small red toad with a scroll on its back, sitting on the reconstructed windowsill.

“No doubt one of Jiriaya’s summons” I thought, taking the scroll from the Messenger Toad’s back, and reading through the message.

“Finally”

**(Shikamaru’s POV)**

“A frog” I thought as I gazed up at the clouds.

It was nice to finally have the chance to lay back on the grass and cloud watch like I used to before the whole troublesome Exams started.

If people were to ask what my goal in life was, I’d say it was to live as unremarkably as possible, never standing out, and dying an unhassled life.

And I’d been doing fairly well at doing just that.

Until the Chunin Exams.

Now people were actually starting to take an interest in me, thinking that there was more to me than just a lazy slacker.

Of course there was, but the point was for everyone else _not_ to know that. That was the plan after all.

But that all changed because of one person.

Naruto Uzumaki.

The guy was a damn enigma.

I wasn’t blind. I noticed all the dark stares Naruto received from the villagers. The bias from the Academy teachers.

Yet until Naruto and I had tag-teamed Gaara at the Hospital I had no idea why.

It hadn’t mattered to me though. Naruto was still Naruto.

It was just irritating as hell that people couldn’t tell the difference between the scroll and the kunai.

Naruto was an idiot by all rights, and yet he was one of the trickiest, most deceptive people I knew. The dead-last at the Academy, and yet he defeated Gaara and the prodigy Neji. He was a loud-mouth, impulsive knucklehead, with more inner darkness than people seem to care to realize. And yet he was the sun. There was no other way I could think to describe the infectious determination that Naruto had. He inspired others to keep trying, gave people unquestionable acceptance no matter how weird they were, and gave hope to those despairing, changing their worldly views through sheer stubbornness.

And it was Naruto’s stubbornness that caused me to participate in a match I didn’t want too. Causing an entire stadium full of people to see that I wasn’t as stupid as I let the Academy teachers think I was.

As a clan heir I knew whether I wanted to or not I was going to become a shinobi. It was expected.

So I did what I needed to do. Nothing more, nothing less. Nobody had ever expected anything of me until that moment. And the invasion only made things worse!

Not only does Asuma now know that I can actually use genjutsu, but he now thinks that he can trust me with more leadership-like positions! It was such a drag!

When Choji and Ino had requested more help with training, Asuma insisted that I join in as well. So now I had to get up earlier than I usually would, and try (fruitlessly) to convince him that I didn’t want to amount to anything in life. 

However, nine days ago Asuma didn’t show up to our first practice.

Normally I wouldn’t have looked a gifted horse in the mouth...But something felt wrong.

Sure enough, the Village had been infiltrated. Not by small fries either.

And they had been after Naruto. Or more likely, the burden he carried.

Naruto got away safe, but half of Team 7 was now down for the count.

And it wasn’t just two guys after Naruto. Apparently it was an entire organization of S-ranked criminals (Grilling Asuma had been worth it for that little tid-bit of information).

Still gazing at the clouds I noticed one of them looked like a ramen fish-cake.

Briefly I wondered when I had made the unconscious decision to get stronger to protect him.

**(Sakura’s POV)**

I was sitting yet again in a chair in-between my Sensei and teammate’s beds at the hospital. Once again feeling the familiar sting of utter uselessness. 

Nine days had passed since the two of them were rendered comatose. By Sasuke’s own older brother no less! I couldn’t even imagine my family doing something so horrible to me! 

Sure family was supposed to argue and hit rough spots, but at the end of the day they all still loved each other. 

“How could anyone do such a thing to their younger brother? Hell to their entire family!?” I thought despondently. 

Even with all the disagreements and arguments that I’m currently having with my parents, I know that they’re just afraid for me. 

It was never a secret that they didn’t really want me to become a ninja. When I had told them that I wanted to join the Academy with Ino they tried everything they could to convince me that I was more suited to going back to our family’s roots and becoming a Ninshu Monk. 

Even as I went through the Academy they still held onto the hope that I would eventually drop out, or that I wouldn’t pass the final genin exam. 

They never trained me like all the other clan kids’ parents did, nor did they involve me in Clan matters (Not even when I became the heiress). 

Looking back they acted more like civilians around me then shinobi, encouraging any kind of girlishness I had showed that directed me away from a proper kunoichi attitude. 

They loved me unconditionally, I knew that as a fact, but even Kakashi-sensei had been surprised by their (intentional) lack of support in my career choice when he had first met them. 

I had always thought that it was because they didn’t think that I could hack it as a ninja. A fact that all the girls at the Academy made fun of me for, saying that I came from a third rate family that didn’t have any special abilities and couldn’t even fight, so I should just give up quit the Academy altogether. It wasn’t until after Third round of the Chunin Exams that I found out why my parents had treated my dreams of becoming a ninja the way they did...It didn’t mean that I entirely agreed with how they went about it though. 

During the Chunin Exams I realized just how subpar I really was. Sure I had good chakra control, and I was getting good with genjutsu and my ninja tools, but otherwise I was still barely more than a support-type. 

When I lost to the Sound Trio I made a promise that I would take my training even more seriously from then on. That I wouldn’t be a burden on my teammates anymore. During my match with Ino I had used everything that I had learned from watching others fight, surprising everyone (including myself) with skills I didn't even know I was capable of. 

I had simultaneously achieved my goal of leaving Ino’s shadow, and found out from Kakashi-sensei that ‘Inner Sakura’ wasn’t merely an extension of my own thoughts. 

After I had beaten Ino’s Mind Transfer jutsu with it, I decided to use the one month respite to try combining my budding genjutsu abilities with my ‘Inner Self’ (with my Aunt’s help of course). Creating the technique had nearly taken up all my training time, but it was worth it since it was what allowed me to beat Dosu (I _may_ have still been holding a major grudge against him...Just _slightly_ ). 

For just a moment I showed everyone in that Stadium that the Hyugas and Uchihas weren’t the only contenders to be aware of. That even someone from a ‘lesser’ Clan like myself could be a threat. Of course my parents weren’t nearly as enthusiastic as I had been. But even so, I showed everyone in that Stadium that I had what it took to be a real ninja! 

Of course even after that I still hadn’t been able to help much during the Invasion. All I could do was support everyone else. I cast the Demonic Illusion: Double False Surroundings jutsu to help Shikamaru, but I didn’t stay behind to help him fight. I saved Sasuke from Gaara’s attacks, but still ended up a hostage. Just when I think that I’m taking steps forward it seems like I’m not even moving compared to my teammates. 

But no matter what, I _will_ find a way to get stronger so that I can fight alongside my teammates and protect them better! 

But for now, all I can do is sit beside them, and hope that they wake up. 

**(Neji’s POV)**

I sat beside Lady Hinata as we watched Lord Hiashi and Lady Hanabi spar. 

After the Exams had been cancelled Lord Hiashi took every chance he had in order to try and bridge the gap between the Main and Branch family households. 

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been happy (if not a bit nervous) the first time Lord Hiashi called me up in front of the rest of the Clan to spar with him. 

But after a few days of my new daily ritual with the Clan Head I noticed something else. 

Lady Hinata was being looked upon even more unfavorably in her still recovering state. 

The second I realized what those stares meant I lost my temper and barged out of the Compound. Coming back an hour later with a video tape, I all but ordered all of my clansmen to watch it. 

It was the recording of my preliminary match with Lady Hinata. 

Needless to say I gave them a ‘damn-right-you-better-respect-her’ glare. For once the Clan was speechless (barring Lady Hanabi who uncharacteristically yelled out “I knew my sister kicked ass!”). The blowhards still had yet to admit to any of their mistakes, but people were now second guessing the Elders’ decision to have Lady Hinata removed from her birthright. 

It was a start, but I had a lot to atone for in my short life. All those wasted years hating the Main Branch of the Hyuga, nearly killing Lady Hinata. At the moment I regret none more than that. 

She had hit the nail on the head when she told me that I was the one wallowing in my own self perceived fate, and trying to change it despite me claiming otherwise. 

I had always had an easy time picking up the Main Branch’s techniques, and the Gentle Fist came naturally to me. So I had always looked down upon Lady Hinata's supposed inability to master the higher level techniques of the Clan. 

But Lady Hinata had never truly been weak. Her personality was what had been deemed unacceptable. Her soft-heartedness made her hold back. 

When Lord Hiashi tried to use harsh training to ‘cure’ her of this it completely backfired. His training caused Lady Hinata to lose any and all confidence in herself, reducing her self-esteem to zero. He, like the rest of the Clan, had deemed her a lost cause, and an embarrassment to the Hyuga name. 

As Lady Hinata approached her Academy graduation the Elders convinced Lord Hiashi to have a duel between his daughters for the position of heiress. While Lady Hinata did outmatch her sister, she could not deal the finishing blow, whereas Lady Hanabi did. Lady Hinata may have been stronger, but her lack of follow through convinced everyone (including myself) that she was not suited to the position of heiress, and thereby lost her right. 

Looking back I had felt only smug acceptance that Lady Hinata’s fate had finally been realized. That she was in fact a failure. 

So when she had fought me with such strength in her eyes I was momentarily taken aback. Never in any of her Clan spars had she ever shown any ability to use our Clan’s higher level techniques. And yet she attacked me with both the Eight Trigrams Thirty-two Palms, and Gentle Step: Monkey Strike. Both techniques I would have previously catalogued as far beyond her capabilities. 

Despite surprising me I countered each of her attacks, and viciously struck her down, callously sending her into cardiac arrest. 

It wasn’t until Naruto had literally knocked some humility into me that I realized how wrong I was. 

I also gained a loathing respect for the Shadow Clone jutsu and all of Naruto’s variants of it. 

And though Naruto probably didn’t realize it, he had helped me finally come to terms with bearing the burden of the Caged Bird Seal. 

After the Invasion I took some time to try and make sense of just what Naruto meant by knowing exactly how he felt to have a mark that he couldn’t remove. After analyzing all I knew about the blonde (which truthfully wasn’t much) I determined that it most likely had something to do with the odd red chakra that he possessed. Red chakra that for a moment had looked as if were a fox’s face. A demonic fox’s face. And that’s when everything clicked. Naruto carried a Seal that contained the Nine-tailed Fox within his own body. 

Suddenly everything about the blonde genin made sense. 

It also made me feel like a total ass. 

Compared to the burden Naruto carried, mine was nothing. And yet unlike me Naruto never gave up. 

I truly don’t understand how Naruto could be so strong. Even when I was verbally assaulting him Naruto saw right through my pain and attacked it directly. 

And I owed him my life for it. 

For nearly my entire life I had mocked all those that were not labeled as ‘geniuses’, and yet, Lee had hard pressed Gaara, Naruto had defeated me, Sakura Haruno had defied all odds and actually beaten the Sound genin that had toppled Lee, Shikamaru Nara was secretly a genius tactician, and Lady Hinata had actually fought back. 

All of them supposedly failures in one form or another. 

“Neji” Lord Hiashi beckoned, bringing me out of my thoughts. 

I made my way onto the sparring floor, and positioned myself in the traditional Hyuga fighting style. 

Naruto had called me a ‘genius’...But if people like them were failures, then what was I? 

**(Choji’s POV)**

“One more time!” I yelled out, bringing my hands together to make my Clan’s special Expansion Seal. 

I focused a large amount of my chakra outward, feeding the technique. 

“Partial Expansion jutsu!” I screamed, focusing my yang chakra into my arms, willing them to grow and expand. 

I watched as both my arms grew larger, but when I tried to extend them outwards in order to grab the tree trunks they wouldn’t budge. As I strained to try to expand the length of my arms the jutsu dispelled, and I collapsed from using up the last of my chakra. 

I took a moment to try and calm my breathing. For the next several minutes the only sound was me gasping for breath. I opened my eyes and looked at the blue of the sky, and the fluffiness of the clouds. 

“Shikamaru must be rubbing off on me” I thought wryly. 

I wasn’t stupid. I knew what everyone else thought of me. That I was a pathetic weakling. A good-for-nothing joke. It wasn’t a secret that my own Father didn’t think that I was suited to be a ninja. That I was too kind-hearted. 

Though they never said it, I knew the Clan thought so too. That I was unsuited to be the Clan heir. In that way I knew how Hinata felt. Both of us were considered too weak, and too soft-hearted to be the heirs. But unlike Hinata I didn’t have a younger sibling that the position could be passed over to. 

Losing so quickly to Dosu during the Preliminaries only hurt my case further. Though, my Father hadn’t been that surprised, he’d expected me to fail. 

That had been the final straw that broke the camel’s back. 

At that point I could no longer just brush off how much of a failure everyone else saw me as. When I had announced my resolve to help Shikamaru train for the Third Round Shikamaru had given me this knowing look. A look of clear understanding as to what my real motives were. 

And boy was I grateful that I had stepped up my training. I don't think I would have survived the Invasion otherwise! But most importantly, during the Invasion the previous Ino-Shika-Cho Trio arrived just in time to see me successfully flatten one of the Cloud Ninja trying to steal Hinata with my Clan’s Spiky Human Boulder jutsu. And for the first time I had seen pride in my Father’s eyes. 

Pride in _me_. 

For the first time someone saw me as something other than a good-for-nothing failure. And no matter what it took, no matter how much training I needed to put my body through, I was going to get stronger. After all, if Naruto and Hinata can do it, so can I! 

I’ll show my Clan that I can be kind-hearted, and a strong shinobi! 

**(Kiba’s POV)**

“Alright Akamaru do your thing!” I yelled out to my ninken as I hopped through the trees on all fours. 

Akamaru barked out an affirmative, jumping into the air spinning as he urinated, the feces accurately hitting some of the trees while missing others. 

“Dang it” I thought, “We’ve still got a long way to go” 

I sped up my pace, practicing my balance with my All Fours jutsu. 

I needed to get stronger. 

I sped up my pace even more. 

I needed to get stronger so I could be a good enough master for Akamaru. 

I pushed myself through the trees faster, barely dodging the incoming branches. 

I needed to get stronger so that no one sees me as weak! 

Exceeding my normal limits I rushed through the forest. Just when I started to feel my reflexes adjusting my foot suddenly caught on a branch, throwing me forward. 

“Oof” I grunted, landing against the ground hard. 

Akamaru immediately rushed over to me, sniffing me for any major injuries. 

“I’m alright boy” I assured him. 

I looked back up at the trees, gritting my teeth. 

“Dammit!” I muttered. 

Back at the Academy I had been one of the four ‘problem’ children as Iruka had dubbed us. Always skipping class, falling asleep during lectures, or just being ‘rowdy’ as Shino put it. 

Out of all my classmates that ended up becoming genin my scores had been among the lowest, not far from Choji, Shikamaru, or even Naruto’s grades. 

Grade-wise we had been the ‘losers’ of our graduating class. And I had hated that title more than anything else. 

That was why I had picked on Naruto so much in the first place. Bringing attention to someone worse than myself in order to make myself look better. 

I wasn’t proud of my past actions now. Bullying another kid to make myself feel better, and yet still having the gall to skip class with that very same person repeatedly. 

The sad thing was, during those times Naruto acted as if I never made fun of him. 

Once I graduated from the Academy I finally felt free from the pressure of grades, and the judgemental teachers. I could focus on my own Clan’s fighting style, something you could never put a grade on. 

However, my habit of humiliating and putting down others turned into overconfidence and arrogance. 

When I faced Naruto during the Preliminaries I was still stuck in the past, wrongly assuming that Naruto was still the same ‘loser’ he’d always been. 

I was wrong. 

Losing to Naruto taught me that I needed to calm my impulsivity. And to not underestimate my opponents (Seriously, what ninja carries around stink bombs!?). 

My arrogance and overconfidence cost me the match, and got Akamaru hurt (By my own hand no less!). 

It made me realize that I wasn’t the only one who flourished outside the Academy. 

After watching Naruto defy the impossible and actually beat Neji, I realized that I still had a lot of room to grow. Everyone was getting stronger and growing around me. Hinata had finally stood up to her family, Shino had tied with that puppet guy from the Sand Village, Sakura was no longer a textbook ninja, the newest Ino-Shika-Cho Trio could no longer be called the Idiot Trio, and Naruto could no longer be called a talentless loser. 

I stood up from the ground. 

“Let’s go Akamaru!” I shouted, leaping back up into the trees. 

I’ll show everyone that I’m no longer that ‘loser’ bully anymore. I’m a Leaf Village ninja! 

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

I was currently taking the day to relax after spending the last week going over documents, and personally observing the teaching standards of the Academy. 

And it was worse than I had feared. 

To say that the standards of the institution had fallen would be a gross understatement. They no longer even taught the essential basics of chakra control! I understand that these are times of relative peace, but the recent invasion proved that it was no excuse to become lax. Which is exactly what the Academy has become. 

The only teacher I had been relatively satisfied with was Iruka Umino. He was not only able to handle the rowdier students, but taught the practical applications of why any of what they were learning was important (whether the students actually listened to him or not). 

His classes by far had the best overall skill record. Though in the long run it didn’t make too much of a difference with the Academy’s poor curriculum. 

Looking through the documents I discovered that the Academy underwent changes in order to accommodate the civilian-borns that did not have family to train them at home. 

Due to the decreased standards the only students who had a chance at being competent genin anymore were the Clan children or individuals from Shinobi Families. Which brought up another issue altogether. 

The entire graduating class usually consisted of three classes of twenty-seven students making a grand total of around 81 Academy graduates. The success rate of newly graduated genin however, was (at best) usually thirty-three percent. The remaining fifty-four graduates failed and were sent back to the Academy for another year where they would try again once more to graduate. If they failed a second time a year later they were either dropped from the program altogether or reassigned to one of the other Corps if they showed enough promise. 

The problem was the only ones who failed were usually civilian-born. In fact, unless there was a shortage of Clan children and those from Shinobi Families in the classes, very few civilian children would graduate on their first attempt. 

Naruto’s specific class was a prime example. Out of the twenty-seven students, nine of them were from Clans. Those nine were all grouped together on teams. Since only three squads were expected to pass and officially become genin it was obvious that they expected squads 7, 8, and 10 to pass while the civilian-borns and even a few from Shinobi Families would not. 

And the previous class a year ahead of them had been almost exactly the same. Not only were the eight clan kids the only ones to graduate, but even the only civilian-born kunoichi that had graduated in their year happened to be from a prominent Civilian Clan. 

To see such blatant bias was beyond appalling. 

Sure some of the clanless children were able to officially become genin at thirteen (though usually only around nine of the eighteen previously failed squads still passed), but the fact that clanless children were almost intentionally set up to fail showed that the curriculum change was merely a political move more than anything else, and that teachers made sure that the children from Clans and Shinobi Families took priority in passing. 

Willing myself not to (angrily) lecture Saru yet I spent the last several days coming up with a (non-optional) curriculum reform. 

Chakra control classes being one of the two most important changes. 

Students would begin learning the Leaf Concentration Method when they first enrolled, and as they got older they would then learn the Tree Walking Method, and finally the Water Walking Method before graduation. 

“Training Naruto would have benefited from greatly” I thought bitterly. 

If someone had just taught him control he would have had an easier time with his jutsu at the Academy. Unfortunately, what’s done is done. 

The Genjutsu classes were the next focus of my ire. Students were no longer mandated to know how to release it. They were just taught the theories behind the usage and prevention of it, and were only required to recognize that they were trapped within an illusion in order to pass Graduation. 

While recognition of it is fine, students should be taught the method of how to release it and at least be made to try to. Logically I knew that not many would be able too, but at least they would know the technique and be able to improve upon the skill once they graduated. 

My next major change involved expanding the Shurikenjutsu and Gym class to include kenjutsu. 

While most ninja use some form of kunai, many other countries utilize swords or other kinds of weapons. The Mist and Cloud Villages extensively trained with swords, while the Sand Village tended to use puppets and combat fans. So I felt that including an additional kenjutsu training class was necessary (The only problem now was finding a competent instructor). 

I also added survival exercises, and a Stealth and Information Gathering Skills class for those in their final year at the Academy. I was still debating on whether or not to just include the Kunoichi Classes within the Stealth and Information Gathering Skills class. 

I left the First Aid class as is and included special Medical Ninjutsu classes for students who have displayed both exceptional chakra control and have an interest in joining the Medical Corps. 

I expanded the Ninjutsu curriculum to include learning how to use simple barrier tags, and I also adapted the curriculum to include subjects about jujutsu and juinjutsu. 

The teacher’s faces when I had asked why those subjects weren’t covered was almost priceless. They actually believed that if they taught those subjects it would ‘taint their impressionable minds’. I barely managed to keep from rolling my eyes at such nonsense. 

The Art classes focusing on drawing maps, people to be identified, and layouts would stay as is, and so would the Math classes focusing on the mathematical principles of the physical aspects of the shinobi such as geometry. 

What would not stay as is were the History and Geography classes. 

I wanted to expand the information taught on the Warring States Era (A fact most of the Academy teachers were horrified by). The Village may be in a fairly good place right now, but it is not wise to sugarcoat or exclude the realities of how the world used to be before the Shinobi Villages were founded. How else are future generations expected to learn from past mistakes if they don’t even know what they were? 

I also wanted the students to learn a bit about each of the Clans and prominent Families within the Village. Learning more about the Clans their fellow classmates were from would hopefully reduce bullying and amnesty. 

While the Geography class was okay, I wanted students to learn about the Clans, and Families of the other Villages as well as their layouts for strategy purposes. 

The second most important change I made was my experiment in trying to increase the percentage of graduates that remained genin: Three-Man Team Exercises. 

It was my long term goal to both improve the educational standards at the Academy and to increase the number of graduating students to higher than the more typical nine students per class. One of the main purposes of the Academy is to increase the Leaf Village’s military force after all. 

Hopefully by having them partake in team exercises it will increase the number of squads that remained genin. 

It had been a lot of work, but hopefully my reformations will pay off in the end. That, and I needed to have a serious discussion with Homura and Koharu regarding why they thought decreasing the Academy’s standards was a good idea. If anything they should’ve implemented special tutoring or remedial classes for civilian children rather than decreasing the educational standards. 

Suddenly, a messenger hawk flew by near my window, signaling my summons. 

I teleported into the rebuilt Hokage Office, curious why Saru had sent a messenger hawk to retrieve me. 

“The situation?” I asked concisely. 

Hiruzen chuckled. 

“Nothing as serious as you are expecting Sensei” Hiruzen says calmly. 

My shoulders relaxed at his words. 

“Then what is it that you would like to discuss?” I asked him. 

Hiruzen gave me a mischievous smile. 

“Oh? I just thought that you would like to know that Jiriaya and Naruto will be returning to the Village in about a day with Tsunade successfully in tow” Hiruzen said in a slight teasing tone. 

“Finally” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed both the foreshadowing and the different POVs!
> 
> I always hated how Kishimoto didn't delve a bit more into the Konoha 11. So I started doing that here.
> 
> As you could see from the different POVs a lot of the plot has been inferred to have both changed and remained similar. I promise there will eventually be a Part 1 to this series that will start with Naruto and the rest graduating from the Academy and going from there until Naruto's return with Tsunade! So you will eventually get to read more in depth what went on :)
> 
> And I'd just like to say I created the chapters for this work over five years ago so I did not copy any of the Academy changes from the Boruto series.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> Naruto has finally returned!!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Naruto’s POV)**

“Come on already, hurry up! We gotta get to the hospital so you can treat Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, and Bushy-Brow!” I loudly complained. 

Grandma Tsunade and Pervy Sage were taking way too long, just strolling around when we should be heading straight to the hospital.

“Relax kid, we’re almost there, so take breather already” Jiriaya said amused.

I growled at his nonchalance, adults were so damn annoying at times! I mean it’s not like I was asking them to go sit and eat at Ichiraku Ramen or something. This was more important than even ramen right now dattebayo!

“Naruto!”

I turned in the direction my name was called to see Karin running towards me.

I gave her a big smile as she stopped in front of me.

“You’re okay!” she said, sounding relieved.

“You bet! No rogue ninja can stop me!” I said cockily.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself there Trickster. You may be getting stronger, but rogue ninja are on a totally different level. Especially if they're after the Nine-tails” Karin chastised.

“Wha-how do you know about that!?” I demanded, confused as to if she knew why she wasn’t avoiding me too like the other villagers.

“Don’t be stupid Naruto of course I knew, I’m a sensor after all. It wasn’t hard to put the pieces together” Karin said smugly.

“And you don’t, ya know, care?” I asked her timidly.

Karin scoffed.

“Sure sensing the Nine-tails’ chakra was scary, but you’re not the Fox. Any real sensor, or someone with half a brain could tell that” Karin stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I closed by eyes for a few seconds to chase away the familiar sting of tears.

Not for the first time I was glad that she had confronted Gramps about immigrating to the Leaf Village. It was nice to have someone I could finally call my blood family.

“Anyway, was that blonde woman who I think she was?” Karin asked excitedly.

“Yeah that was Grandma Tsunade if that’s what you’re asking” I told her grumpily.

“Does that mean she’s going to heal Sasuke?” Karin asked with hopeful hearts in her eyes.

I couldn’t help, but breathe out an annoyed sigh. I had almost forgotten that she was another one of the Bastard’s fan girls.

Apparently he’d saved her during the Forest of Death or something (Not like he needs anyone else fawning over him).

“Yeah, but they’re going so damn slow! We’ll never reach the hospital at this rate” I loudly complained, annoyed at the whole situation.

“Huh? What are you talking about Naruto?” Karin asked confused.

“What do you mean, what do I mean?” I asked back.

“Well Tsunade and the old guy with white hair left in the direction of the hospital a while ago” she said.

“WHAT!? You’ve got to be kidding me! Now they decide to pick up the pace!” I yelled, sprinting in the direction of the hospital after those no-good traitors.

“I’ll come by your new apartment later Karin. Right now I gotta catch up to the old lady!” I yelled behind me.

As I reached the hospital I sprinted through the front doors and down the corridors to my Squad’s room.

As I entered their room’s hallway I saw Pervy Sage and Grandma Tsunade walking all casually, as if they hadn’t just ditched me.

“Hey! What was the big idea leaving me behind like that!?” I demanded at them.

They turned around to look at me. Both of them had annoyingly smug grins adorning their faces.

“Well, you were taking so long talking with your little lady friend that we decided to let you be while we headed to the hospital” Pervy Sage said.

“Why you –”

“Enough. I won’t have the two of you fighting in the hospital when I’m working” Tsunade chastised, turning around to walk a few more steps to my Squad’s recovery room.

Pervy Sage and I quickly followed after her. 

“May I come in?” Tsunade asked as she walked into the room.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Sakura asked, sounding confused.

“Sakura, everything’s going to be okay now! Grandma Tsunade is going to heal both Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei” I said with a relieved smile.

The two of us watched as Grandma went over and placed her hand on Kakashi-sensei’s forehead, her hand suddenly glowing green.

I controlled my shocked when I felt Sakura tentatively reach out and hold my hand as we waited with baited breath to see if our Sensei would wake up again.

“Ugh” Kakashi groaned, opening his eyes for the first time in ten days.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Sakura and I said at the same time, the both of us immensely relieved.

Sakura moved the hand that had been holding onto mine to wipe away some tears that had been building up. I couldn’t blame her, everyone had been saying they didn’t think Sensei or Sasuke would ever wake up again. I couldn’t imagine all the worries and fears that she must have had to deal with alone.

Kakashi sat up to look at those crowding around the room.

“Disgraceful. Taken out of the game by two low life punks like that? I thought you were supposed to be the best?” Tsunade berated.

Sakura and I looked at Grandma Tsunade in wide eyed shock.

“Uh sorry to disappoint you” Kakashi-sensei said, sounding oddly like a reprimanded child.

It was definitely one of the weirdest things I’d ever seen, right up there with Orochimaru’s freakish mutant tongue.

“And now for your teammate” Tsunade said, moving over to the next bed.

Like with Kakashi-sensei she placed a glowing green hand on his forehead, and like before Sasuke woke up as well.

“Hey, good to see that you’re finally awake” I said softly, as Sasuke sat up to look at us. 

“Sasuke” Sakura said softly, moving over to him quickly with a hug as she cried silent relieved tears onto his shoulder.

I couldn’t help but smile at the two of them. Sensing the mood I turned to leave the room, it was one of those private times Sasuke actually let Sakura be closer to him, I can always talk to the Bastard later.

As I walked out the door I held out a finger beckoning Grandma Tsunade to follow me. 

“Come on, you’re not done yet” I said softly. 

“Rock Lee! He’s the next room over!” 

Guy-sensei said, nearly knocking me out of the way.

We quickly located Lee stretching his legs in one of the hallways.

“Lee look who’s here to see ya, it’s Lady Tsunade!” Guy said excitedly.

Tsunade gazed critically at Lee for a moment. 

“Naruto. Do you have time to be dawdling around here?” Grandma Tsunade asked me.

“Dang it you’re right! I promised to meet Iruka-sensei! See you later Bushy-Brow!” I said, running down the opposite hallway.

I wasn’t worried, Lee was in good hands.

Right now I just need to get to Ichiraku before Iruka-sensei yells at me for being late.

**(Iruka’s POV)**

“About time Iruka-sensei!” Naruto shouted at me.

“Sorry. It’s all the preparations for the Fifth Hokage” I told him.

“Well, okay, whatever” he said, the both of us walking into Ichiraku now that I'd arrived. 

The two of us ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, taking in the goodness that was Ichiraku’s ramen.

“Naruto. You’ve sure come a long way from when you were a kid when you were trying to earn one of these” I said gesturing to my headband.

“I’ll say! I’m glad you noticed. Admit it, aren’t you glad that you gave me this headband? It looks pretty damn good on me don’t you think?” he said happily.

“I wouldn’t be so cocky. You’ve still got a long way to go. Be sure that you don’t get a swelled head” I tell him with a slight chuckle.

Naruto just looks away from me pouting.

“I want you to listen carefully" I said, my tone going more serious, as if I was lecturing him again like at the Academy, "The Leaf Village is up against the wall. The third Hokage has admitted that he's too old to lead anymore, and we lost many of our best shinobi. Our strength is down to half, but even so we still have to carry through with all the missions that we’re given”

“Huh? Why do you have to? Can’t you just turn them down if you don’t have the manpower?” Naruto asked, sounding confused.

“Use your head Naruto. If we start turning down missions I’d be like telling the world our Village is weak. So everyone has to pitch in, even the walking wounded like Kakashi” I informed him sternly. 

“Wow that sucks for them” Naruto said nonchalantly, taking another bite of ramen.

“It concerns you too hot shot. You may be asked to carry out missions and fight in battles that you’re not ready for yet” I sharply retort. 

Naruto pauses for a moment to mull that over. 

“Then I’ll just have to get even stronger” he declared with a confident smile.

I couldn’t help but smile back at his infectious determination, even as exasperated as I was. 

“But first, nobody can do anything on an empty stomach” Naruto says, happily going back to slurping up his ramen.

I couldn’t help but sweatdrop at his actions.

“I guess you haven’t changed that much” I say with an amused laugh.

But even so...I can tell that he truly has grown up a lot. Even if he doesn’t act like it half of the time.

“I know you’ll do your best” I tell him, placing a gentle hand on his head.

"You bet I will!" Naruto exclaimed, giving me a bright sunshine smile.

“Naruto. You’re becoming fine shinobi” I think proudly, “Just keep staying strong and the rest of the Village will acknowledge your determination too”

**(Lee’s POV)**

_"It’s best if you give up being a shinobi. Find a different path"_

Those haunting words swirled continuously throughout my mind like an endless howling vortex.

I had spent my entire life being ridiculed and put down for my lack of ability in ninjutsu and genjutsu.

I had fought against all of the jeers for years, determined that I too could become a fine shinobi with hard work alone.

Despite all the odds I had persevered and graduated the Academy (Even if I had been the Dead-Last).

Guy-sensei had personally trained my taijutsu, making me faster than anyone of my age group.

He even taught me our Clan’s intuitive ability to access the Eight Inner Gates in case of an emergency.

When I had entered the Chunin Exam I was determined to show the world that there was another type of genius. Geniuses of hard work.

Even though I had lost against Gaara I knew that I had gained everyone’s respect, including Neji’s.

But did any of that mean anything now?

The fight had cost me my shinobi career. What else did I have if I couldn’t be a shinobi?

I honestly didn’t have an answer to that question.

My entire life had revolved around being a ninja.

I wouldn’t even be able to help out in my Clan’s dojo anymore!

_"The chances of the operation being successful are fifty-fifty at best. And if it fails, he’ll die"_

Had Neji been right from the start? Was I truly not meant to be a ninja?

“There you are Lee”

I turned from my position on the bridge to see Sakura walking up to me.

“Oh hello Sakura” I say, trying to put on my best smile for her so that she wouldn't have to be burdened by my own issues.

“These are for you Lee” she said, holding out a bouquet of daffodils to me.

I look around in shock, as if someone else was around to take the flowers.

“For me? Thank you!” I happily declared, blushing at the fact my crush had given me a large bouquet this time instead of the single daffodils she always brings as a get-well wish.

As I giddily reached forward to take the flowers from her I leaned too far over on my bad leg, resulting in it giving out on me.

I blushed even harder as Sakura caught me and settled me back onto the edge of the bridge.

“Sorry about that” I apologised embarrassed, trying to not let my sadness at my weakness show.

“It’s alright Lee” she replied with a smile, placing the flowers in my arms.

“I heard what happened with lady Tsunade” she said softly.

I looked down ashamed. She must be thinking how pathetic I was right now.

“I have to say, you’re definitely the strongest person I know Lee” she declared.

“W-what?” I stammered, my eyes widening at her in shock.

“To have someone give you a diagnosis like that...I can’t even come close to imagining what you must be going through. But you're still able hold your head up through it all! That’s what I admire about you Lee. You’re the one who inspired me to become a better ninja in the Forest of Death. To work harder. I’m here to tell you that you can’t give up yet! If anyone can figure out how to help you it’s Lady Tsunade!” Sakura said assuredly, holding her fist up confidently.

I looked at her in disbelief.

She thought I was strong? She admired _me_?!

I knew that after the Second Round of the Chunin Exams we had become friends, but she truly admired _me_ of all people? And could what she said be true? Could I really have the chance to be a shinobi again?

“Stay strong Lee” Sakura said, surprising me by kissing my cheek and walking away.

I held my hand where her lips had touched my face.

“She was right” I realized, “This is not the time to give up. I have never given up before, and I won’t now!”

“I will be a fine shinobi!” I shouted out into the heavens.

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

Observing the individuals seated within the room I found myself exerting much of my energy into maintaining my trademark neutral expression. 

My former students, my former subordinate, and my great-niece all in the same room. It was a definite reminder that almost fifty years had passed since I saw them last.

Danzo in particular gave off a cold battle hardened exterior. And from what I can tell, he's no longer able to use one of his arms.

Waves of conflicting emotions crashed up against each other, none more powerful than another.

Nostalgia. Anger. Care. Disappointment.

Regardless of anything the conversation was going to be interesting.

I made sure that Hiruzen had not informed anyone that I knew Naruto’s relations to myself.

I wanted to see how my former subordinates would handle the topic while they were under the impression I was unaware.

Of course that discussion was for after the Council was done handling Tsunade’s instatement as Hokage.

“I’m surprised Master Jiraiya managed to drag you back to the Village” Danzo commented.

Tsunade scoffed.

“What can I say? I lost a bet with his little apprentice” Tsunade bit back sarcastically, although there was a teasing fondness as she appeared to reminisce.

“Hokage isn’t a game. Taking the position for such a frivolous reason –”

“You question my desire to protect this Village again you will find yourself paraplegic” Tsunade threatened Danzo fiercely.

“You cannot fault me for being sure you’re mindset is in the correct place considering you all but abandoned the Village for over a decade” Danzo stated simply, unfazed by her threat.

“The past is the past. Tsunade is here now and that’s what counts” Hiruzen said, trying to mediate between the two.

“As soft-hearted as always” Danzo criticised.

“Enough. We are here to discuss important matters, not squabble like children” I reprimanded.

It did my heart wonders to see that I could still make my former subordinates and niece look sheepish at their own actions.

“Then let’s get down to business, shall we? I’d like to get things over with quickly if possible. I’ve got a busy schedule to maintain after all” Jiraiya said calmly.

“If I catch you spying on the women’s bathhouse again you won’t survive this time” Tsunade notified him casually.

Jiraiya paled at the threat.

“I’ve heard from Shizune that she has already started you on the shinobi rosters” Homura stated.

“I’ve gone through half the books so far as well as going over paperwork detailing the current financial and structural state of the Village” Tsunade reported.

“Good. You need to get yourself as up to date on the current goings-on of the Village as soon as possible” Koharu nodded approvingly.

“The plans for your inauguration are set for two days from now. That should give us enough time to make preparations” Homura informed.

“In the meantime I would continue familiarizing yourself with the Village’s current issues and how you will be handling them from here-on-out” Koharu advised.

“I already plan on doing just that” Tsunade commented, shifting in her seat and suddenly adopting a very serious expression, “But that isn’t what you are all here to discuss is it? The inauguration is just an excuse. Danzo wouldn’t have wasted his time showing up if what you really wanted to discuss were confetti and balloons”

I forced myself not to narrow my eyes at her words. Up until now I’ve been observing everyone’s reactions to get a feel for how they have changed. And I have to say I don’t like what I’ve seen so far.

“We wanted to discuss your run in with Orochimaru” Homura admitted.

“Oh? What about it? I already left a detailed report for you all to read” Jiraiya questioned.

“It is not the details of the encounter that concern us. It is who participated that does” Koharu stated sharply.

“Hm? I was under the impression we all already agreed that Orochimaru needed to be handled?” Jiraiya inquired, sounding like he was intentionally playing ignorant.

“Orochimaru is not the immediate concern” Danzo stated pointedly.

“Oh? Then what is?” I questioned, confused on what they considered to be more pressing.

“We have decided that limiting the number of missions Naruto partakes in would be the wisest course of action from here on out” Homura stated with finality.

This time I did narrow my eyes, tightening the grip I had on my folded arms in order to keep myself from lashing out at them prematurely.

“Luckily that’s not your call to make” Tsunade succinctly pointed out, glaring at Homura.

“You need to cut the bullheadedness! According to the report the boy was very nearly killed in his fight against Kabuto Yakushi. You yourself notated that it was a miracle that you were able to heal him at all” Koharu countered harshly.

My eyes widened in shock. _What_?

I glanced over at my niece to see she had a tight expression on her face.

A miracle…judging from her reaction my great-grandson should be dead right now.

My heart sped up rapidly.

“Dammit! I should have gone on that mission” I thought bitterly.

Somehow I needed to get my hands on that report. Better yet, I would ask my niece herself.

“Naruto should not have been on that mission to start with. We allowed you to connive us into allowing him to go with you and look what happened. He was nearly kidnapped by a criminal organization after the Nine-Tails, and was then nearly killed by one of Orochimaru’s men” Homura continued harshly.

“Naruto is to be safeguarded within the Village as he is trained as a shinobi. Now more so than ever” Danzo piggybacked.

I barely controlled an irate twitch at the subtle reference to Naruto being used as a weapon for the Village.

“As such you should limit the number of missions he is on and assign selected skilled shinobi to act as his escort and bodyguards at all times” Koharu advised (read: demanded).

I grit my teeth at their attempt to cage my descendent as if he were some animal to keep contained until he was needed to be let loose against an enemy.

“I think the three of you should know me well enough to know my answer” Tsunade said, taking a deceptive calm breath in.

“No”

“Tsunade, Naruto is no ordinary child. He’s a jinchuriki” Koharu reminded sternly.

“We’d prefer he be kept under tight supervision and not leave the Village at all, but we’re offering the bodyguard idea as a way to compromise” Homura stated.

“While I agree that he should be on a four-man team Naruto doesn’t need to be kept on such a short leash” Tsunade argued back.

“Even if you force him to stay in the Village the Akatsuki will definitely still come for him. Two of them have already attempted to do just that” Jiraiya stated matter-of-factly.

“And if that happens the entire Village will be placed in danger” Hiruzen continued.

“As long as Naruto is on the move they will not be able to pinpoint his location right away” I added in.

The three of them knew better than to retort my claim.

“Furthermore, Naruto is a shinobi of this Village. One who will continue to develop as an asset to the Village” Tsunade said.

“Indeed. And _stunting_ his growth in any way would be a blow to the strength of the Village’s shinobi forces” I stated, getting in a subtle jab to see their reactions.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Though they tried to hide it, both Homura and Koharu winced at my words.

“Agreed Sensei. Naruto’s training is incredibly important with the burden he carries. Unfortunately Sarutobi disagreed with allowing me to train him. He would have received a much better education than what he got at the Academy” Danzo stated cooly.

“Naruto is more than just a jinchuriki. You would have turned him into an emotionless weapon!” Hiruzen argued fiercely.

“Shinobi are merely tools to be used for the sake of the Village. Emotions are unnecessary” Danzo retorted plainly.

“Shinobi are taught to control their emotions as to not let them compromise our rationality and decision making. While it is true shinobi fight to protect the Village and its assets we are still human. If we forget that we forget our morality and lose sight of the very reason this Village was founded in the first place!” I lectured sharply, unable to bite back my tongue any longer.

The room was eerily quiet.

“Very well. If you are so against our suggestions then what do you recommend we should do then Tobirama-sensei?” Danzo questioned, clearly testing me to see if I in fact did have a better alternative.

“Naruto will be residing with me from now on” I stated succinctly.

My three former subordinates glanced at me in surprise.

Interestingly I noticed a suspicious gleam in Danzo’s eyes as he got over his momentary surprise.

“In addition, I will be training him along with Jiraiya. As such he will be receiving both protection and training from two kage-level shinobi. Unless you can think of another two individuals better suited to protecting _my_ great-grandson?” I challenged, narrowing my eyes accusingly at them.

Homura and Koharu both became increasingly pale at my accusation. Danzo on the other had became tense, as if he were preparing himself to be ready to attack or defend himself at any moment.

“I’ll take your silence as your acceptance then” I stated brusquely.

“O-of course Sensei. We wouldn’t dream of keeping him from you” Koharu stammered slightly, finally coming out of her fear-induced shock.

“And yet you never so much as hinted at his relations to me” I thought angrily.

“If you will be training him then I have no doubt he will become a strong shinobi worthy of this Village” Danzo stated, relaxing only minimally.

“Very well then. Now that everything has been decided I say we leave this meeting adjourned” Saru declared, likely wanting to end things before the situation escalated.

“Agreed” Homura answered.

“Then let us finish preparations” I said.

I glanced at my former subordinates once more and resisted the urge to continue pushing the issue.

“I will show no mercy to those who go after my great-grandson. Even if that person is one of the children I raised to be a shinobi myself” I thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Elder Council better watch out!
> 
> Yup yup. Karin is here! It just didn't make sense that she was in the same Chunin Exams as Team 7 and didn't confront Naruto about his last name Uzumaki. This will be gone over in further detail later on!
> 
> I actually adapted the scene with Lee and Sakura partially from the anime, I just altered some of the conversation. I always liked their dynamic and felt it should have been expanded on. Lee was half of the reason Sakura wanted to train even harder and I wanted to give credit to that.
> 
> Next chapter will be the final information digging chapter. But it is still extremely important!! Big revelations!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> This is the final chapter of information digging. Promise!
> 
> I also promise there are very important points in here so make sure you read carefully!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Hiruzen’s POV)**

“Now that all the formalities are out of the way it’s time we get down to business” I declared.

I couldn’t help but appreciate that Tsunade was now gazing at me from the Hokage’s desk, and the look of confusion on Iruka’s face as to why he was here with a group of such big-named shinobi.

In total it was myself, Tsunade, Tobirama-sensei, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Iruka.

Now that all the ceremonies for Tsunade’s indictment as the Fifth Hokage were completed we could finally dedicate some time to allowing Tobirama-sensei to gather some more information about his great-grandson, who to his great frustration (and my great amusement) he still has yet to even catch a glimpse of.

“Um, I beg your pardon Lord Third, but why am I here?” Iruka nervously asked.

“You are here because you were Naruto’s best teacher at the Academy” I informed him simply.

“Wait, is Naruto in trouble or something?” he asked, trying to control the immense worry on his face (though he always was an open book).

“Not at all. I merely wish to gather as much accurate information regarding his abilities as possible” Tobirama corrected.

Iruka narrowed his eyes challengingly at the former Second Hokage.

“Why would you need to gather information on Naruto’s skills at all?” Iruka questioned harshly.

And he was not the only one. Kakashi was giving off protective warning vibes of his own.

Second Hokage or not, both of them know that where Naruto is concerned not everyone can be trusted.

“I am the boy’s great-grandfather. I will be taking him in if he so agrees, and will be assisting in his training as well” Tobirama answered, unfazed by their silent threats.

The sheer amount of shock on Iruka’s face was almost comical. Even Kakashi’s stoicism had been briefly broken before his face changed to an odd realization. Though a realization of what I couldn’t be sure.

“That actually explains a lot” Kakashi drolled.

Tobirama just raised a questioning eyebrow that Kakashi chose to ignore. Iruka just looked back and forth between each of us before letting out an exasperated sigh.

“I’m not really sure how much help I’ll be. It’s been a while since Naruto’s graduated. His skills have changed a lot since then” Iruka noted.

“Perhaps. But you’d have the most accurate assessment of Naruto’s skills during his time at the Academy, and that will give us a good basis to go on” I tell him.

He reluctantly nodded.

“I only became Naruto’s teacher when he was ten. I won’t deny that I tried to ignore him at first, but I soon grew to understand that much of Naruto’s problem behavior was just attention seeking. I can’t speak for his previous teachers’ methods, but I found that he had countless gaps in his education in all areas. I couldn’t show favoritism, but I saw that he was genuinely trying his hardest, so I decided to focus my efforts on making sure he learned the correct material so long as he was under my care. I taught him the proper kunai holds, the proper taijutsu stances, and how to read” Iruka explained.

“What do you mean you taught him how to read?” Jiraiya demanded coldly.

“I mean just that. Nobody had ever taught Naruto how to read or write, he had to teach himself. He was also 'unofficially' banned from the library so it wasn’t like he could get books anyway. I had to lend him some of the copies of the textbooks that I owned” Iruka declared in bitter disappointment.

Without looking up I could feel four intense glares pointed in my direction.

“Despite all of his faults I found that Naruto’s skills were not nearly as bad as his grades implied. In fact, once I became his teacher his grades had gone up immediately. He was still the Dead-Last of the class, but his grades weren’t all Fs either” Iruka explained.

I gave him a nod to signal that his part was done for now, and I looked over at Kakashi next.

“Naruto’s skills are complicated to explain. Like Iruka said he had many gaps in his education that needed to be worked on. Intelligence wise Naruto is a tactile learner, though I did have him use his Shadow Clones to fix some deficits in his knowledge repertoire. However, he still requires explanations to be more simplified to understand” Kakashi explained.

Tobirama-sensei nodded, no doubt mentally adjusting his training plans.

“Though he is surprisingly pretty observant in battle, and prefers using cunning and tricks to fight” Kakashi continued.

“Hence his title The Trickster I’m assuming” Tobirama-sensei commented. Jiraiya just snickered at that.

“At the start his taijutsu was sloppy and lacked finess, so during our weekly team spars I would make sure to correct his errors during the fight. His taijutsu has definitely improved since then, but he doesn’t fight with a conventional martial arts style. From our spars he created a new style we decided to call the Deception Fist. The style is largely based on his unpredictability and speed” Kakashi continued.

“Speed?” Tobirama inquired.

I should’ve known that would’ve gotten his attention.

“Naruto has a talent for evasive tactics and is one of the fastest kids of his generation. His lack of finess is what makes his speed inefficient. It is because of this that people underestimated his capabilities. What they seem to forget is that Naruto is well known for leading Chunin on chases around the village for over an hour without getting caught” Kakashi said amused.

“Really now?” Tobirama said, sounding incredibly amused.

Jiraiya in contrast held no reluctance in belly laughing at the tale.

“Though I have to say Shisui definitely fixed some of those issues” Kakashi casually mentioned.

“Shisui? Shisui Uchiha?” Tobirama inquired, sounding surprised.

I was surprised he knew that name. Perhaps he met Shisui during one of his strolls around the Village.

“He worked on Naruto a bit during the one month training period for the final stage of the Chunin Exam. He even taught him how to incorporate the Body Flicker with his taijutsu” Kakashi explained.

Tobirama-sensei gave a contemplative ‘hmm’.

“Interestingly enough, from what I understand, both Naruto and his father definitely inherited their fighting styles from you Lord Second” Kakashi observed thoughtfully.

“How so?” Tobirama inquired, curious of how that could be.

“Both Naruto and his father have an immense hatred of hand seals, both of them preferring to utilize techniques that either do not require them, or figuring out ways to reduce the number of seals needed. In fact, not only can Naruto use the Body Flicker, Rending Drill Fang, and Transformation jutsu without hand signs, he taught himself how to use the reduced seal version of the Shadow Clone jutsu” Kakashi stated with pride.

“Three signless jutsu at his age?” Tobirama contemplated surprised.

“In addition, much like yourself, both Naruto and his father prefer using speed combined with physical attacks in battle” Kakashi pointed out.

My eyes widened in realization. Until now I had never realized just how similar Naruto’s fighting style was to both his father and great-grandfather. Genes truly were a fascinating thing.

Tobirama smirked, no doubt pleased that his fighting style would easily blend with Naruto’s own.

“What are some of the ninjutsu he knows?” Tobirama inquired curiously.

“Naruto originally had poor ninjutsu skills stemming from his large chakra reserves. However, because of his higher reserves it also made higher-ranked jutsu a bit easier for him to master. Technique wise Naruto knows the Shadow Shuriken jutsu, and the Earth style: Rending Drill Fang jutsu, along with the Shadow Clone jutsu and his variants of it” Kakashi detailed.

“Variants?” Tobirama questioned.

“I’ll be so bold-faced as to say that Naruto is mastering your Shadow Clone jutsu to levels you never have” Kakashi declared.

“Interesting. I’m assuming you are going to explain” Tobirama said, looking at Kakashi expectantly.

“Hmmm. I think a demonstration would be better in this case” Kakashi answered dismissively.

Tobirama reluctantly nodded.

“I’m assuming his primary chakra nature is Earth then?” Tobirama inquired.

“I’m not sure actually. We were going to go over chakra natures after the Exam” Kakashi replied.

Tobirama nodded, clearly adding it to his mental Training List.

“Naruto’s got a few other jutsu up his sleeve. Taught by yours truly” Jiraiya cut in.

We all turned to face him.

“Naruto is able to use the Summoning jutsu” Jiraiya stated, “His current aptitude for space-time ninjutsu may not be that great, but he’s still able to summon the Chief Toad”

“That is impossible! Large chakra reserves or not he should not possess enough chakra for such a feat” Tobirama cut in firmly.

“Actually, according to my ninja hound Naruto did in fact summon the Chief Toad when he fought _and_ defeated the one-tailed Shikaku demon and its jinchuriki during the Invasion” Kakashi countered back.

Tobirama gazed hard at Kakashi, and Kakashi challenged his gaze right back.

Damn. I knew I was forgetting to inform Tobirama-sensei of something...I was definitely going to be hearing about this later...

“I also taught Naruto the Rasengan” Jiraiya said, breaking the staring contest.

I reeled on him.

“You started teaching a twelve year old such a dangerous jutsu!” I berated him.

“I didn’t just _start_ teaching him the jutsu Sensei, he _learned_ the jutsu” Jiraiya emphasized.

“That’s impossible! You were only gone thirteen days. There’s no way he could have mastered the jutsu in such a short time” I stated in disbelief.

“Well I can say for sure that he did. In fact, he won our bet that he could master it in a week” Tsunade announced, speaking for the first time in the conversation.

Looking down where her grandfather’s necklace usually hung now I understood why she was no longer wearing such a precious item.

“What is this Rasengan?” Tobirama asked curiously.

“A powerful A-ranked jutsu that your grandson created” Jiraiya praised.

Despite his face remaining mostly impassive, I could see the pride in Tobirama-sensei's eyes.

“I’m sure you’ll see the technique during the so-called future demonstration” Tsunade assured him.

“And that’s not all” Jiraiya said, giving a dramatic pause. He was always one for theatrics.

“Naruto has a high level of skill with the Transformation jutsu” Jiraiya declared with a devious smirk.

I couldn’t help but groan, knowing exactly what he was probably referring to. Iruka joined me in face-palming.

“Hey now, don’t anticipate what I’m about to say. Though I will get to that bit of genius later” Jiraiya said smirking.

I resisted the urge to groan again.

“Naruto is able to use Combined Transformations. Which he did with Gamabunta against the Shukaku” Jiraiya proclaimed.

“Does that conclude his ninjutsu skills then?” Tobirama inquired.

“Not quite” Jiraiya says, “Due to being the Kyubi’s jinchuriki he’s been developing the signature sensory skills of the Kyubi’s jinchuriki”

“You mean the Negative Emotion Sensing” Tobirama clarified.

“Right” Jiraiya confirmed, “He doesn’t have any practice with it, but it’s definitely there. I also taught him how to harness some of the Kyubi’s chakra for his own use”

“Why would you do such a dangerous thing?” Tobirama demanded.

“The seal the Fourth Hokage created is specifically designed for such a function” Jiraiya countered firmly.

I could tell Tobirama-sensei was gritting his teeth in frustration. It was obvious that this subject wasn’t entirely over, but was finished for now.

“Naruto’s chakra control frankly sucks due to his excessive reserves, but it has been getting better. Though because of that genjutsu is currently out of his reach. And as far as I know he doesn’t know how to release it, but he is fairly competent at identifying lower levels of illusions in most cases” Kakashi continued on.

I could see Tobirama-sensei making more mental notes in his head.

“His real potential however, lies in information gathering, stealth, and traps” Kakashi stated.

“Saru mentioned something along those lines before” Tobirama said.

“Though Naruto can be called the Leaf Village’s number one Unpredictable Knucklehead Ninja, he has the potential to be the greatest Sabotage ninja the world has ever seen if someone were to teach him” Kakashi complimented.

“A Sabotage ninja!? According to our records the Leaf has never had a shinobi who possessed the potential for it” Tobirama stated surprised.

“Kakashi. Are you absolutely sure of that assessment?” I say lowly, almost pleading him to rethink that last statement.

Kakashi locks his gaze on mine.

“I’m aware of the implications of my words. I would not have said them otherwise” Kakashi declared seriously.

This was worse than I had feared.

I knew Naruto’s skill with his Shadow clones, and Transformation jutsu gave him a higher information gathering potential. Reading Ibiki’s report on how Naruto used transformed Shadow Clones to cheat, and personally watching how he tricked Kiba Inuzuka with his Transformations highlighted that potential. But if what Kakashi is saying is true, then that means we are going to have to be extra careful that Naruto does not go ‘missing’.

Because if Kakashi has realized that Naruto could be used as a Sabotage Shinobi, then Danzo has realized this as well.

“What have you observed to even give you that indication?” Tsunade all but demanded.

“Naruto has a high affinity for traps. Unfortunately he mostly utilizes this skill for his pranks. There is a reason the ANBU calls him the Trickster after all. Not to mention anyone that can graffiti the Hokage mountain in broad daylight with a Village full of shinobi while wearing a bright-ass orange jumpsuit no doubt has an underestimated level of skill in stealth” Kakashi stated in amusement.

“Orange jumpsuit” Tobirama repeated to himself in mortification.

I tried (and failed) to cover up a laugh with a cough.

“Don’t worry Lord Second. The jumpsuit was happily burned” Kakashi said with a smiling eye.

“And his information gathering skills? I’m assuming his Transformation jutsu and Shadow Clones play a part in that” Tobirama inferred.

“Indeed. Naruto is also the best in his year at seduction. Actually, the girls in his class don’t even come close to his skills in it...Though to be fair they weren't trained in the Art at the Academy either” Kakashi stated casually, knowing that would without a doubt grab Tobirama-sensei’s attention.

“Seduction…Not to sound sexist, but I’m curious how he developed those skills” Tobirama inquired, mildly confused.

“Because the kid is an absolute genius and created the most amazing category of ninjutsu the world had ever seen!” Jiraiya said lecherously.

Tobirama-sensei gave me a brief look out of sheer confusion (and concern), obviously not knowing how to handle Jiraiya’s behavior.

“He created a new ninjutsu category?” Tobirama asked hesitantly, though I could hear the clear interest in his underlying tone.

Creating new jutsu had always been his hobby after all.

“Accidentally more than anything else. He merely wanted to find a way to get more attention from his teachers, and ended up creating a new ninjutsu category…and techniques that really should be banned from use” I explained both embarrassed and exasperated.

Tobirama-sensei merely gave me a look that indicated he was incredibly curious, and that I better elaborate.

Luckily I didn’t need to.

“Yup. Ero Ninjutsu!” Jiraiya said with pride.

Now very few times in my life I could say that I’d ever seen Tobirama-sensei ever balk in shock. And to see the absolute look of surprise on his face was worth every moment of it.

Frankly his brain looked like it was short-circuiting as it tried to comprehend Jiraiya’s sentence.

“Stupid pervert!” Tsunade yelled, socking Jiraiya over the head hard. Jiraiya just cradled his head with tears in his eyes. At that point Tobirama-sensei looked as if he had regained some semblance of his usual calm.

“Oh it will definitely be interesting to see how he interacts with Naruto. Especially considering his personality is very similar to Lord Hashirama’s” I thought mischievously.

Coughing a bit, Tobirama brought everyone’s attention back to him.

“I’m assuming that other than what is to be demonstrated during the spar that concludes Naruto’s skills?” Tobirama asked.

“That about covers it” Kakashi confirmed.

“Actually, I have something to add” Tsunade cuts in. 

“Really now Tsunade?” Jiraiya questioned curiously.

“I noticed that Naruto inherited the Uzumaki clan’s vitality and incredible self-healing ability, and no his healing ability is not stemmed from the Kyubi. While it is true that when he uses the Kyubi’s chakra it increases his healing power, Naruto already has an incredible healing ability himself. Actually, when I was checking him over after our fight with Orochimaru I noticed a twinge in his chakra that felt very similar to my Grandfather’s own Regenerative Ability, though untapped” Tsunade stated, waiting for the reactions of the bomb she had dropped on them.

Not even a cricket sounded throughout the room.

“My elder brother’s Regenerative Ability was a rare second kekkei genkai that only one Senju approximately every thirty to fifty or so years ever inherits, and you’re saying that Naruto has inherited this trait!” Tobirama questioned seriously, managing to snap himself out of his stupor.

Tsunade nodded,“I am”.

“And you have not checked his affinities as of yet?” Tobirama demanded, looking at Kakashi.

“I have not. Why?” Kakashi inquired, curious where this was going.

“Because whomever inherits our Clan’s Regenerative kekkei genkai _always_ inherits our Clan’s Wood Release kekkei genkai as well” Tobirama stated as if it should have been obvious.

The entire room was silent…Again.

“How could the Village have been so careless to not notice something like this?” I thought to myself.

“Answering that question will be my first priority then” Tobirama stated with a slightly cold edge.

“Lord Second. Please take good care of Naruto” Iruka asked, giving him a slight bow.

“I intend to” he firmly assured.

Tobirama then turned his attention back to Kakashi.

“Now for other matters. I’m assuming that you will be procuring additional tutors for your other two students now that I will be overseeing Naruto’s training?” Tobirama inquired expectantly.

Kakashi gazed at him curiously, “I don’t see why”.

Tobirama-sensei narrowed his eyes at Kakashi.

“Naruto will be undergoing personal training under both a former Hokage and a member of the Legendary Sannin. It will no doubt cause a rift within your squad if your other students are not given specialized training as well. Especially, since from the reports you tend to slightly favor training the Uchiha, whom I have confirmed is currently being affected by his Clan’s Curse. In addition the kunoichi of your squad is not to be left behind as well, that is not fair to her. If you wish to focus on Sasuke that is fine, however you must find additional tutors for both of them as well” Tobirama-sensei chastised.

Kakashi gave him a rightfully sheepish look.

“Right. I’ll see what I can do” he replied. 

Tobirama-sensei merely gave him a firm nod, with Iruka nodding along in agreement with Sensei's line of reasoning as well.

“As stimulating as this conversation has been I think it’s time my great-uncle is allowed to meet his great-grandson” Tsunade says with a smirk.

Tobirama-sensei looked at her with hopeful eyes. Just then a knock echoed through the Hokage’s Office.

“Ah, right on time” Tsunade declared, “Come in”

“Hey Grandma Tsunade! You said you needed me for something?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it never made sense to me how only Hashirama could use Wood release. To me it made sense that it would've been a kekkei genkai that would've be passed down through the Senju clan, so I did just that.
> 
> As for Hashirama's Regenerative Ability can you all guess why only specific Senju inherit that 'second' 'kekkei genkai'?
> 
> Can you all guess who the additional tutors might be? (I won't confirm or deny any guesses though lol spoilers and all that)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> Here's where the plot starts to diverge!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Third POV)**

Naruto was confused.

When Shizune had first given him Grandma Tsunade’s summons he thought for sure that it meant that she was going to give Team 7 another mission.

Now he wasn’t so sure.

Sure Kakashi-sensei was here, but looking around at the people in the room Naruto couldn’t understand why Grandma Tsunade would call for him. It looked like she was having a Meeting of the Elites or something, and as awesome as he was, he was still a genin.

“Sooo what’s goin on?” Naruto asked, slightly uncomfortable with how they were all looking at him.

“I can’t even fangirl over the fact I’m in the same room as the Legendary Second Hokage it’s so awkward!” Naruto thought.

“We were just discussing you actually” Tsunade replied, as if that wasn’t unnerving...or creepy.

“Er, what about me?” Naruto asked uncertainly.

He was almost scared to know. Was he in trouble or something?

“I’m not going to be kicked out of the Ninja Program or something right?” Naruto internally panicked.

“Your skills and techniques. You’ve created a lot of different jutsu for someone your age” Tsunade explained.

“Huh?” Naruto mumbled dumbfounded.

"Created jutsu? Did they mean his Sexy jutsu? It’s not that impressive of a technique. It’s only good for distractions and seduction type stuff. But even then it only works once" Naruto thought, completely baffled.

“You look confused” Tobirama pointed out.

“Well yeah. I haven’t exactly _created_ any jutsu. At least not any worth mentioning” Naruto answered.

Naruto couldn’t help but sweat-drop when Kakashi-sensei and Pervy Sage both dropped to the ground anime-style.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! He has to realize all the jutsu he’s created” Kakashi internally balked.

“We’re talking about your Shadow Clone techniques kid” Jiraiya stated, slightly irritated at Naruto’s air-headedness.

“What about them?” Naruto asked, confused.

“What do you mean, what about them!? You created your own Shadow Clone techniques you dolt!” Jiraiya shouted.

Tobirama gave Jiraiya a fierce threatening glare, being sure to direct a bit of his chakra at him as well.

Jiraiya recoiled slightly and gave the Second a sheepish look.

“Huh? What’d you mean?” Naruto inquired.

“Your Shuriken Shadow Clone jutsu” Kakashi pointedly reminded him. 

Hearing this Tobirama got an interesting gleam in his eyes. 

“What about it?” Naruto asked (again).

“You invented it” Kakashi stated blandly.

“You’ve got to be kidding me! You mean to tell me no one’s ever thought to use the Shadow Clone jutsu on weapons before?! I thought of that like a month after I learned it when I ran out of weapons to practice with” Naruto said in disbelief.

“The way he points it out makes us all seem stupid” Jiraiya sweat-dropped.

“Wait! Does that mean I invented all my other Shadow Clone techniques too?” Naruto shouted in disbelief.

“The way he says it makes it sound like randomly creating jutsu is so simple” Tsunade thought deadpan.

“How did nobody notice his potential in the Academy again?” Iruka wondered face-palming.

“A genius idiot. A living contradiction. Just like my elder brother” Tobirama thought exasperatedly.

“Only Tobirama-sensei’s blood would make creating a new jutsu seem like child’s play” Hiruzen nearly face-palmed.

Naruto didn’t get it.

“Sure I guess I created all that stuff, but what was the big deal? Ninja come up with their own techniques all the time right? Adults are so confusing. I wish they’d just tell me what they want from me already” Naruto thought with an edge of irritation.

“Well if isn’t Naruto”

**(Shikamaru’s POV)**

This was such a drag. I mean how come my Dad insisted that I had to come with him to see the new Fifth Hokage? Running into Asuma on the way there only resulted in _two_ adults nagging me to go. The whole thing was such a pain.

As we walked into the office I saw Naruto amongst the crowd of hot-shot adults.

“Well if isn’t Naruto” I say, catching his attention.

“Shikamaru?” Naruto acknowledged back.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be somewhere stuffing your face?” I comment to him.

“How bout you? You’re usually still asleep this time of day” he countered.

“Very funny. My Dad asked me to come along with him though don’t ask me why” I tell him disgruntled.

“Greetings Milady” my Dad greeted the Hokage.

“Shikaku! You sure have grown up. I hope that you’re still taking care of those deer. I’ve made some good medicine out of those antlers” Lady Tsunade remarked happily.

“Hey, do they know each other?” Naruto whispered to me.

“How should I know? And Hokage or not don’t you think it’s a little weird that some girl is ordering all the adults around?” I comment to him.

“She’s no girl. She’s actually an old lady in her fifties” Naruto corrected.

“Huh!?” I say surprised. There’s no way she’s that old! Although it would make more sense since she is supposed to be one of the Legendary Sannin…

“Hey, when you have the chance I wanna show you a killer new technique I learned!” Naruto declared.

“How about now?” I asked him.

“Huh?” Naruto questioned.

“There’s something I want to talk to you about” I whispered to him, turning my back to the adults so that they couldn’t read my lips.

“Actually there’s something I need to talk to you about too” Naruto replied seriously.

“Hey Gramps, Pervy Sage, Grandma Tsunade. Shikamaru and I are gonna head out to train so we’ll see you later!” Naruto shouted out, grabbing me by the jacket and hauling me away with him (protests and all).

“You know you didn’t have to haul us out of there so quickly just because of the Second Hokage’s stares you know” I pointed out to him as I regained my footing.

“I know but I couldn’t really figure him out. It’s not like the villagers, there wasn’t any hate in it. But I can’t really say what it was though...And it was kind of making me uncomfortable” Naruto admitted.

“It was anticipation, and curiosity. He almost seemed eager. Though eager for what I don’t know. He also didn’t like that I blocked Naruto from his view,” I thought, “The question is, why?”

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

Finally seeing my great-grandson for the first time I was struck by just how much he resembled myself at that age.

Sure Naruto’s coloring and eye shape differed from my own, but all of his other features and hair style resembled myself as a child.

“Actually…Overall he looks a lot like Nawaki and Kawarama” I mused sadly.

And just as Hiruzen had said, the boy’s attire included _orange_.

He was wearing a black tracksuit with an orange stripe on the arms and the Uzumaki symbol on his back, orange sandals, and an orange t-shirt.

As much as I respected my Sister Clan, Naruto should be wearing the Senju Crest on his back, not the Uzumaki Spiral.

What I didn’t expect however, was how similar in personality Naruto was to my Elder Brother (though if I had to guess he probably inherited the Uzumaki temper rather than my brother’s depressive quirk).

I wasn’t sure whether or not that was a good thing at the moment.

It gave me both a sense of familiarity and an intense pang of sadness knowing that my brother was no longer among the living.

When the Naras and Sarutobi had walked into the room it was amusing to see how Naruto interacted with the other boy.

I watched through narrowed eyes as my great-grandson left with the young Nara heir. The boy, Shikamaru, had purposefully moved to position himself between Naruto and myself. And whatever he said incited Naruto to come up with an excuse to leave, using his own hyperactivity to his advantage.

“They’re quite the duo aren’t they?” Shikaku said, catching my attention.

“Would you believe me if said that they were the dead-lasts of their class?” Asuma coined in amused.

“Seems that I have more work to do in adjusting the Academy standards” I mused.

“Judging by your expression you noticed it too. That Shikamaru is stronger than he wants others to know” Asuma commented.

“Is there a particular purpose behind it?” I asked curiously.

There were strategic benefits to being underestimated after all.

Asuma scoffed.

“Because the kid is just that unmotivated. He spent the last week trying to convince me that he didn’t want to amount to anything in life, and to just let him squander his potential when the kid’s a literal genius and has one of the highest potentials of his class” Asuma stated exasperatedly.

“Really now…” I deadpanned in disbelief.

“I wouldn’t say he’s entirely unmotivated. He always gets a particular look in his eyes when Naruto is involved. No matter how troublesome, you’ll always find him standing beside Naruto, particularly after recent events” Shikaku observed.

“Does your son –”

“He knows. And he’s already decided to get stronger. He just doesn’t like others to see his resolve or else they’ll give him other responsibilities than the ones he chooses for himself” Shikaku notes.

“The more incredible thing is how the two of them are so close when their personalities are completely different” Asuma mused in amazement.

“No kidding. Shikamaru is the least motivated person you’ll ever meet, while Naruto is a determined hard-worker” Iruka stated in exasperation.

“Well you know what they say, opposites attract” Jiriaya said with a grin, "They balance each other out"

“Well, those two have always been an interesting pair” Iruka comments with an air of nostalgia.

“I wasn’t aware that Shikamaru and Naruto hung around each other at the Academy” Kakashi inquired curiously.

“While they weren’t the closest friends they did spend a decent amount of time together. Though most of it involved sleeping or ditching class…or revenge pranking a teacher” Iruka said with an edge of irritation.

Jiraiya snickered at Iruka's implied misfortune.

“Shikamaru would come to Naruto’s defence in certain situations. And considering his lack of motivation for anything you know it’s serious when he actually takes the effort to voice his opinion” Iruka explained, “Once when they were ten one of Naruto’s classmates pulled a nasty prank, although _prank_ isn’t exactly fully accurate. Naruto wanted to make friends since no-one would hang around him, so the student told him that if he went up into the Backhills and retrieved some kind of spoil from the recent fight there then they would let him into their group”.

I frowned in disappointment at the child’s actions.

“Shikamaru had overheard, and when Naruto didn’t show up during break he went after him. By the time I found out from Shikamaru’s friend Choji, the two of them had already beaten three Waterfall chunin through a combination of Shikamaru’s intelligence, and Naruto’s trap skills and knowledge of the surrounding area” Iruka detailed with a hint of pride.

It _was_ an impressive feat, Tobirama thought, but they still could have been killed.

“Unfortunately, their luck ran out when the jonin leader came to see why his subordinates were taking so long. Luckily I managed to get there in time and hold him off until the ANBU arrived” Iruka said relieved.

I clenched my teeth at the information. Children being put at risk like that grated on my nerves. I understand that accidents happen, but it doesn’t ease the worry any less.

“I recommended both of them take the Graduation Exam early, but…” Iruka said trailing off.

“They both failed” I finished.

“Naruto passed everything but the Clone jutsu, and Shikamaru failed the exam so badly the protectors knew he was doing it on purpose, but they couldn’t do anything about it” Iruka shouted with irritated exasperation.

I couldn’t help, but chuckle a bit at that. It wasn’t funny that the Nara was holding himself back, but he and my great-grandson made an oddly well blended team.

**(Shikamaru’s POV)**

“So, are we going to talk or what?” I asked him as we leaped over the rooftops.

“Oh right, yeah, what did you want to talk to me about?” Naruto asked.

“The Akatsuki” I said bluntly.

Naruto looked shocked for a minute before nodding in understanding.

“What about you?” I asked him.

“Pervy Sage and I ran into Orochimaru and Kabuto when we were looking for Grandma Tsunade” he said, expression uncharacteristically serious.

After a moment of shock I quickly schooled my expression, "And?".

“During my fight with Kabuto I finally realized why he seemed so familiar” Naruto said grimly.

“Familiar how? Have you met him before?” I asked seriously.

“Yeah. At the Orphanage. He was one of _The Chosen_ ” Naruto said gravely.

I almost stumbled on the tiles.

“The Chosen!? Are you serious?!” I demanded.

“Yeah. No doubt about it. He even admitted to it when I asked him during our fight” Naruto stated, his expression carefully neutral.

“This changes everything” I thought, gritting my teeth.

“And that’s where we’re headed now isn’t it? The Leaf Village Orphanage?” I speculated.

“Yeah. There was an older kid there that was Kabuto’s brother or something. I remember him being so sure that his brother was going to come home from his mission someday” Naruto said, an edge of sadness in his voice.

“And we’re going to talk to this guy so we can confirm that this brother of his was really Kabuto right?” I concluded.

“Right” Naruto answered.

“You know what this means though right Naruto?” I asked him, giving him a point stare.

He remained silent.

“If you’re right, then this could be what the Village needs to take down Danzo” I declared.

“I know” he said tightly, his hands clenching into fists.

“If we can prove that Danzo is the one behind Kabuto, then this could be the foot-in-the-door that we need” Naruto agreed, eyes sharp with anticipation.

I nodded.

Danzo.

Just the name of that man ran chills up my spine.

My Dad’s warned me about the man before. Called him the the Dark Roots of the Leaf Village. But until I got closer to Naruto it had nothing to do with me. But as of now one thing was for sure.

“The damn Mummy is goin down” I declared determinedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooo Shikamaru, Naruto, and Danzo have a history... Interesting ;)
> 
> Also, it's made no sense to me how the Senju clan didn't have any hiden techniques of their own so I made the Shadow Clone jutsu a Senju Clan hiden technique, hence why Naruto ended up inventing the Shuriken Shadow Clone jutsu instead of Hiruzen.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> Things are about to get interesting now that the boringish info stuff is done!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

“Not that I’m not honored to be in a room full of big shots, but I’ll just take the mission request and be on my way” the Sarutobi stated.

“Fair words for someone with a sash like that” I say, glancing at the Land of Fire’s symbol. Likely an ex-member of the Twelve Shinobi Guardians, a position not held lightly.

“The praise is appreciated” the Sarutobi gratefully acknowledged.

“Ah. I had forgotten I never introduced the two of you. Sensei this is my second son, Asuma Sarutobi” Hiruzen introduced.

“Oh? Saru’s son huh?” I say, realizing for the first time that with everything going on I never once inquired of my students’ families.

“Nice to meet you” Asuma greeted with a respectful bow.

“And here is the mission request you wanted” Tsunade said, tossing him a scroll.

“Then I’ll be on my way and out of your hair” Asuma replied, turning to walk out the door.

“Actually, I will be going as well if you all do not mind” Iruka stated, obviously realizing that the conversation was probably headed a more political direction.

The moment he left the entire atmosphere of the room shifted.

“Getting to business, Sensei, this is Shikaku Nara. He is the Village’s Jonin Commander” Hiruzen introduced.

I gave the man an acknowledging nod.

“Now to discuss the Leaf Village’s state of affairs” Jiraiya declared, his tone grave.

**(Naruto’s POV)**

I haven’t been back to the Orphanage since I was four.

Looking up at the wooden building I steeled my nerves before taking the first few steps inside, Shikamaru following close behind me.

The place hadn’t changed a bit.

The same wooden reception desk to greet you as you walked in, with the artistic scrawls of children decorating the base. Even the potted plant I drew when I was two years old was still there.

Turning left I walked over and opened the door that would lead us to the main living area. 

Walking into the sunshine lit room brought back lonely memories of exclusion and nasty words (when Kanpu was not paying attention).

The room was set up like a military barrack. Bed after bed lined up next to each other from one end of the room to the other. The only personal touches were the individual toys that were stored in the cubbies attached to the end of the bed frames.

I was unsurprised to see that each of the beds were still stacked in a bunk-bed style.

The Orphanage had to house a lot of kids after the Nine-tails' attack.

“For an orphanage it seems too quiet” Shikamaru noted warily.

Looking up at the clock I realized it was two o’clock.

“That’s because they’re not in the building right now” I casually inform him, walking through the giant room.

I didn’t even pause to look at the bunk that had been my former bed.

The previous loneliness that had housed it had been replaced with stuffed rabbits and crayons.

I vaguely remember someone telling me once that we lie in the beds that we create for ourselves.

….No

It wasn’t my bed to lie in anymore.

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

“While we are hard pressed our mission count has not decreased. In fact, if anything it’d say it’s increased” Tsunade informed us.

“Most likely as a way to test our capabilities” I inferred.

“We just need to be careful to maintain enough high level shinobi within the Village and not leave ourselves vulnerable to attack” Shikaku commented.

“Then if you would, I would like you to draw up a list of shinobi that I should not send out on missions and have them to attend to duties within the Village instead” Tsunade asked of the Commander. 

“Understood” Shikaku replied.

“The rebuilding is going on as scheduled as well. A majority, if not all presently registered genin have been assigned D-rank missions to assist with the rebuilding” Hiruzen continued on.

“Ah the joys of having genin labor” Jiraiya joked. 

“The Funbo Family has already finished prepping the burial grounds for the deceased. The rest is now up to the families of those that have passed away” Hiruzen detailed solemnly. 

“As for the recent infiltration by the Akatsuki, you say that they also work as a mercenary group?” I inquired, fishing for more information.

Jiraiya nodded, his serious expression returning.

“From what I can gather they are a group-for-hire. According to my intel the Village Hidden in the Stones was a frequent employer up until recently” Jiraiya explained.

“And now they’re making a move towards their own objectives” I concluded.

Jiraiya nodded gravely.

“The question is, what are those goals? And why do they desire the Biju?” Kakashi commented, having arrived near the start of the conversation.

“You have no inclination whatsoever of why they could be after them?” Hiruzen asked his former student. 

“No. I have not been in contact with my inside source for a while” Jiraiya stated.

“Inside source? You have a spy within the organization?” I questioned disbelievingly. 

Jiraiya glanced at Hiruzen for a moment in sharp disapproval. 

“Yes I do. One of our best, most loyal shinobi actually” Jiraiya declared cuttingly towards the Third, who looked like he was trying not to flinch at the unspoken accusations.

I narrowed my eyes at Jiraiya. 

“He needs to know” Shikaku stated firmly. 

“Know what?” I demanded.

“About Danzo” Shikaku answered seriously. 

“What about Danzo?” I questioned firmly, not liking the accusations he was pinning on my former subordinate’s name. 

“First I think we should start at the beginning” Kakashi stated calmly. 

“I believe that would be best” I agreed sharply.

“Danzo was the one who informed the villagers that Naruto was the Jinchuriki when he was two years old” Hiruzen explained. 

“What?!” I demanded in shock, “Why would he inform the public of his status?” 

“The blame for the Nine-tails' attack was being pinned on the entire Uchiha clan. Danzo went behind the Third’s back and used Naruto as a sacrificial lamb in order to redirect the villager’s anger elsewhere in order to fix some of the civil unrest” Shikaku detailed irately.

I grit my teeth in anger. 

My own trusted subordinate intentionally used my own blood as a _scapegoat_. 

“By the time I had found out it had been too late. Danzo had already spread the word through the civilian sector. All I could do at that point was pass a law making it illegal for anyone to speak of his status” Hiruzen sadly explained.

So Naruto’s status _had_ been hidden at first. 

“That fact was probably what allowed him to survive past infancy” I thought bitterly. 

“Of course it didn’t fix the problems for long” Shikaku said unhappily. 

“What do you mean?” I demanded once more. 

“Though the Uchiha’s leader had been preventing it for a number of years the Clan was on the verge of a coup” Hiruzen explained gravely.

My body tensed at that bit of information.

That had been my greatest fear with the Uchiha clan. That they would not be able to move on from thinking solely of their own desires and Clan to thinking of the good of the Village as a whole. 

“By the end my efforts for negotiation had failed, and Danzo went behind my back once again” Hiruzen said bitterly.

I thought back to the reduced, and nearly empty Uchiha compound, and suddenly Hiruzen’s words gave me such an ominous dread that I had to suppress a chill from going up my spine. 

“What…did he do?” I questioned softly, not sure if I even wanted to know the answer to my own question. 

“He ordered a thirteen year old boy to kill his entire Clan” Hiruzen said ashamed.

My eyes widened in horror at his words. He could not truly be serious!

Though from everyone’s despondent and furious expressions the truth of the statement could not be questioned.

A child.

A child was ordered to kill his entire family.

I could not even _fathom_ such an order.

But for a thirteen year old, no matter how strong, they could not have killed an entire Clan by themselves.

“That’s why there are still a few survivors isn’t there? Because he couldn’t do it by himself?” I speculated.

Hiruzen nodded.

“Shisui had helped Itachi along with a man who claimed to be Madara Uchiha. The blame for the massacre was placed on the Impersonator, but Itachi left afterwards to go undercover in the Akatsuki. In all they only left six other clansmen alive. Naori Uchiha II, Izumi Uchiha, Taura Uchiha, the infant twins Mochi and Miho, and Itachi’s younger brother Sasuke” Hiruzen explained.

My respect for the young Uchiha I had met had grown exponentially. For the two of them to have made such a decision…I couldn’t even imagine having to make a choice like that.

Though the issue now was the Madara Impersonator.

“Itachi has already confirmed that the Imposter was behind the Nine-tails' attack, though what his ultimate goal was we don't know” Jiraiya continued as if reading my train of thought.

Well, as my brother would say, ‘No matter what the Era, there is always conflict’.

Though I had a horrible feeling that the worst of our problems would be on the homefront.

**(Naruto’s POV)**

“So where exactly are we going?” Shikamaru asked.

“The kids at the Orphanage are taught about the different plant life. How to cultivate and gather food off the land and stuff like that. Right now they should be out in the fields gathering plants, fruits, and herbs” I told him.

Shikamaru gave a surprised look.

“I never took you for the gardening type” he said plainly.

I shrugged my shoulders. Most people didn’t. It was a personal hobby I never told anyone about. Though Ino knew because her family ran the shop I purchased my flowers from.

“It’s…cool watching something grow after you put so much effort into it” I say as we step onto the flower field.

If I recalled correctly the girls would sometimes have their kunoichi classes held here too.

Sure enough, I spotted the mob of orphans sitting in the field with Kanpu and Keiri standing above them. There was another young man with a Leaf headband standing with them as well.

Walking over to the children I waited for the group to scatter after Kanpu finished giving his instructions before approaching them.

“Hi Kanpu-sensei, Keiri-sensei” I addressed them, respectfully keeping my distance.

They gave me a surprised look before gazing at me uneasily (or rather Kanpu-sensei did while Keiri-sensei glared at me).

“N-naruto. What a surprise. I didn’t think I’d ever see you back here” Kanpu said uneasily. 

“Shikamaru and I actually need to talk to one of the orphans who used to go here and we were hoping you could help us find him?” I asked him. 

“Huh? What are you up to now you no-good troublemaker?” Keiri demanded suspiciously.

While I brushed off the accusation, I saw Shikamaru’s eyes narrow out of the corner of my vision.

“Keiri, it is not becoming to insult a child” Kanpu chastised.

“Humph. He is a shinobi of the Village now. I can say what I want to him” she retorted with a huff.

“Rather than tossing around unjustified insults how about you assist us with our investigation instead of impeding it?” Shikamaru said curtly, the hidden warning evident in his voice. 

“What investigation? Maybe I can be of some help?” the young shinobi asked. 

“If you’ve got things handled we’ll go check on the children” Kanpu said, walking away with Keiri in tow.

“We’re looking for a guy by the name of Urushi who used to stay here” I tell him. 

“Huh? Urushi?” he asked, sounding surprised.

“That’s right. Do you know him?” Shikamaru asked.

“You could say that” the young man said, “Hi. The name’s Urushi. How can I help you?”

I glanced at the guy with new eyes. Sure enough, after taking a better look at him I could see that he was an older version of the kid I remembered. 

Shikamaru and I nodded at each other. 

“Do you remember a shinobi by the name of Kabuto Yakushi?” Shikamaru asked him seriously. 

Urushi looked at us in shock. 

“Kabuto? Why are you asking about him? Is he back from his mission?” Urushi demanded. 

“And what mission exactly would that be?” I asked him. 

“Never mind then” Urushi said looking glum. 

“I don’t know any mission, but Kabuto’s been in the Village for the past five years” Shikamaru stated carefully. 

Urushi’s eyes lit up into stars again. 

“Really!?” he asked.

Then his expression fell again. 

“Wait, what do you mean he’s been in the Village for the past five years? He would’ve come home…” Urushi trailed off. 

“Look, I know Kabuto was one of the _Chosen_. Now we just need to prove it” I said firmly. 

“What do you mean _prove it_? The Hokage knew about it didn’t he?” Urushi asked confused.

“You’re not going to like what we have to say” Shikamaru said to him.

**(Hiruzen’s POV)**

I do not believe I have ever felt my age as strongly as I do now. 

My beloved Sensei whom I respected and looked up to throughout my entire life now knew just how much of a failure of a Hokage I had been. 

Sure, on the outside the Leaf Village had been at peace for a large chunk of years, but the inner darkness and corruption within the Village itself was staggering. Most of it my own fault. 

If I had not let Danzo create Root, or dealt with Orochimaru like I should have than maybe things would have been different. 

Unfortunately my greatest failing will always be my heart. 

Danzo had been my friend and rival, and Orochimaru had been one of my beloved students. Neither instance had I been able to put my foot down. And the Village was suffering for it. 

Any tragedy stemming from either of them was indirectly my fault. My only hope is that with Sensei here I can maybe start taking the steps to correcting some of my wrongs.

“Nonetheless I’d like to talk of another matter” Tobirama-sensei said, breaking me out of my thoughts. 

From the look on his face I could tell without him saying so what he wanted to know, and gave him a subtle nod. 

“A while after I became Hokage Danzo came to me with a proposition” I began. 

Tobirama-sensei remained silent. 

“He wanted to create a secret subdivision of the ANBU core that would protect the Leaf Village from the shadows” I revealed. 

Tobirama-sensei narrowed his eyes. 

“Naturally I denied the request at first, but as time went on Danzo was able to justify the necessity of it well. And so the ANBU Root division was created, headed by Danzo himself” I explained.

“And what do these ANBU do exactly?” Tobirama-sensei asked tensely. 

“I’ve suspected for a long time that Danzo has been doing a great many immoral deeds in the name of the Village” I said after a pause. 

“Then why hasn’t anything been done to circumvent it?” Tobirama-sensei demanded. 

“Because I have no proof” I countered back.

Taking in a calming breath I let out a sigh. 

“If there is one thing Danzo is good at it’s covering his tracks. He runs an entire organization stationed in the shadows. Covert dealings are his specialty. So digging up any kind of information is near impossible unless you know where to look in the first place. And even then Danzo knows how to justify his actions well, and unfortunately my former teammates tend to side more with his ideals than my own” I explained with a hint of bitterness. 

“I thought you said that you had Root disband?” Jiraiya questioned, eyes narrowed.

“On paper is it. But it wasn’t a covert organization for nothing. The organization is still active. Danzo occasionally recruits from the ANBU” I stated tightly.

“And there is _nothing_ you can catch him on?” Tsunade asked skeptically.

“Despite his highly questionable methods he truly does what he believes is best for the Village, so unless I have hard proof of a grave misdoing I cannot pull him in and question him like a traitor” I said. 

“Doing that would no doubt bring the entire Council into question along with the reliability of the Village Leaders” Tobirama-sensei concluded, following my line of reasoning.

“We would need someone to come forward with concrete proof in regards to any misdeeds” Shikaku commented, not sounding very confident in said possibility.

“And the likelihood of that might as well be zero” Tsunade remarked with a scoff.

It was indeed a precarious situation. Hence why things had remained unresolved for so long. 

“Well, we’ve got five powerhouses together in one room. There’s no way we can’t come up with some kind of plan” Jiraiya declared optimistically. 

“Unless we use someone as bait I don’t even think I can come up with a plan to draw out Danzo without having some kind of evidence first” Shikaku admitted, looking pointedly at Kakashi. 

“My squad will _not_ be used as bait” Kakashi threateningly proclaimed, releasing a bit of his chakra at Shikaku. 

“What!?” Tobirama-sensei demanded. 

“Danzo is one of the few reasons I was assigned the team I was. I wasn’t just to be my squad’s sensei, but their protector from Danzo as well” Kakashi admitted. 

“Explain” Tobirama-sensei demanded. 

“Danzo not only goes after ANBU, but he scouts out children from clans as well. Danzo’s already made his interest in all three of my students clear. So my job was to make sure he stayed away” Kakashi explained.

“I can understand Naruto and Sasuke, but why the girl?” Tobirama-sensei asked curiously. 

“Sakura’s grandfather, Akane Haruno, was a member of Danzo’s organization. Due to Danzo’s method of eradicating emotions Akane discovered a potential bloodline trait” Kakashi explained grimly.

“The Warujiko. The divided self” Tobirama-sensei recalled from his research. 

Kakashi nodded. 

“None of Akane’s three sons inherited the bloodline so it was initially thought to be unique to him” Kakashi stated.

“It wasn’t” Tobirama-sensei assumed. 

“No, it wasn’t” Kakashi confirmed. 

“Sakura’s cousin, Moe Haruno, inherited the trait and was inducted into Root. However, he was killed five years ago, and Danzo wanted a replacement” Kakashi explained tightly.

“And he knew that your student had inherited the bloodline as well?” Tobirama-sensei asked. 

“I think he had his suspicions, but even I didn’t know for sure that she had inherited it until her preliminary match during the Chunin Exams” Kakashi admitted. 

“And now that it’s confirmed you’re worried she might ‘disappear’ as well” Tobirama-sensei concluded. 

“My squad, even amongst their graduating class, has an incredible amount of potential not seen in any one squad since the Sannin. So yes, I’m concerned” Kakashi confirmed. 

“So unless someone comes through that door saying they’ve got information against Danzo, we’d need nothing short of a miracle” Shikaku stated defeatedly.

Suddenly the Office door swung open to reveal Urushi Yakushi.

“I beg your pardon Lady Hokage, but I need to speak to all of you about Danzo” he declared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to heat up! B)
> 
> Hope you all liked how I altered the Uchiha Massacre (you will find out how Shisui is still alive later!), how I expanded on the Orphanage, and the Haruno clan etc!
> 
> I found it interesting that in the databooks one of Naruto's hobbies was gardening but it was never really pointed out in the series. I felt like this would've been something he picked up/was taught at the Orphanage so that's what I did.
> 
> *The part about Danzo revealing Naruto as the Jinchuriki when he was about two years old as to take some of the negative heat off of the Uchiha was implied/stated in Itachi Shinden: Book of Bright Light and the Konoha Hiden novel: The Perfect Day for a Wedding.
> 
> *The Funbo Family is actually a civilian clan I created that works alongside Shinobi to make sure the Shinobi receive proper burials and their bodies can't be stolen for information etc.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> Things are really rolling now!
> 
> I'm testing out something:
> 
> "Blank" - quotations for speech  
> 'Blank' - apostrophes for thoughts
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Third POV)**

“Is there a God?” They all thought at once. 

“Hey! We told you that you needed to knock first!” Naruto shouted, running into the room, holding his fist up at Urushi. 

“Troublesome” Shikamaru mumbled, walking into the room after Naruto. 

Hiruzen smirked. 

“God or not, there’s Naruto” he thought humorously. 

“Sorry, but if what you two told me is true than Danzo needs to be stopped now” Urushi said firmly. 

“We know that better than anyone!” Naruto shouted, clearly annoyed. 

“What do you mean you know that better than anyone?” Tobirama demanded. 

Naruto cut his glare and looked warily towards the Second Hokage, remembering just where he was.

“First let’s have Urushi say what he needs to. Naruto and I will get to our part later” Shikamaru said, diverting attention away from Naruto. 

Urushi nodded in agreement.

“Danzo’s been taking children from the Orphanage and using them in his undercover faction” Urushi bluntly revealed.

“WHAT!”

“Growing up Danzo would come by every few years and select a child or more to join his Organization, threatening to not only steal what little funding we had, but heavily implied that _unfortunate_ things would happen if we refused his requests and informed you of his blackmail” Urushi informed them angrily. 

“He has no authority to do that!” Hiruzen said furiously. 

“But he did. And children like us wouldn’t be missed if we disappeared” Urushi stated icily.

Naruto clenched his fists at the truth of the statement. 

“How many children has he taken?” Hiruzen demanded. 

“I can’t give you an exact number. I only know of the ones since I’ve been at the Orphanage. Total I know of at least sixteen kids that left with Danzo and never came back” Urushi stated tightly.

The entire room grit their teeth in anger. 

Tobirama himself was ready to Flicker away and locate his former subordinate and (violently) demand just what the hell he was thinking!

“Including Kabuto” Urushi continued, folding him arms across his chest and narrowing accusatory eyes at the Third.

Silence permeated the room. 

Tobirama didn’t understand the full significance of the name, but he could tell from looking around the room that the name meant something more than what Tsunade and Jiraiya's reports detailed.

“Kabuto? The gray haired, glasses wearing prodigy medic currently working as Orochimaru’s right hand?” Jiraiya demanded. 

“He volunteered to do a long term espionage mission for Danzo when he was ten in order to make him back off Mother. He was supposed to come back when he was done, but no-one’s ever come back from Root. Naruto and Shikamaru were the ones who came and told me that Kabuto _had_ in fact returned and betrayed the Leaf” Urushi said tightly.

It still baffled him how Kabuto was even able to do that! Though he supposed that's what happens when you're forced to become one of the best spies in the world.

Kabuto had managed to keep his return hidden from him by literally maintaining such unassuming profile, by pretending to be so unimpressive and so unnotable that his skills and Shinobi career were nothing even worth mentioning!

“You think Orochimaru was his mission?” Shikaku inquired.

Urushi shook his head. 

“Orochimaru was a member of Root at that time. He was even there the first time the Orphanage was blackmailed by Danzo into giving up one of it's kids. That's why Kabuto agreed to complete Danzo's espionage mission. Danzo told us four years later that Mother was killed on her mission to bring Kabuto back. But now knowing what I do I think that whatever really happened on that mission drove Kabuto to join Orochimaru” Urushi hypothesized.

“And if that’s the case Orochimaru probably took advantage of whatever betrayal Kabuto felt and recruited him. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if Orochimaru had been keeping an eye on him the entire time for his own gain” Jiraiya speculated.

“How did you know to go to Urushi Naruto?” Hiruzen asked, looking at Naruto with a worried suspicion.

All eyes immediately turned to the blonde, causing him to shift awkwardly on his feet from all the heavy stares.

“I uh, was there that night Kabuto left with Danzo. I was three. Danzo asked me before he left if I wanted to go with him and be of use to someone. I didn’t like the feel of him so I said no. Looking back, he was one of the reasons I started working even harder to join the Academy early. I forgot about Kabuto for a while, but something felt familiar about him when I met him during the Chunin Exams. I finally remembered him during our fight when we went to get Grandma Tsunade. I asked him about what happened and he just said that I should leave the Leaf too before it ruined me too” Naruto recalled sadly. 

“So Danzo is the root cause behind Kabuto defecting from the Village. Why am I not surprised?” Jiraiya scoffed.

“How was it not known that this Kabuto disappeared?” Tobirama demanded, enraged by the negligence in both security and safety of the children. 

“The record keeping of the orphans in the Village is extremely poor. The Orphanage itself resides outside the Village. If I had to guess Danzo probably took advantage of that and made sure that any and all paperwork was falsified in addition to ensuring the silence of the Orphanage Caretakers. Sadly almost no one wants to work with the Orphanage, and increasing their funding is not seen as important to my colleagues in comparison to the military force and other institutions” Hiruzen said bitterly.

Unfortunately the Council of Representatives has never really seen profit in divulging a large amount of funds to the Orphanage. The only exception had been after the Nine Tails' Attack, but even that had only lasted until the next yearly council meeting.

"That is no excuse!" Tobirama berated, "You have already acknowledged that you knew there had been issues with the Orphanage even before Danzo's blackmail. The moment you recognized this a better system should have been structured! Council be damned! Had you done so Danzo would not have been able to get away with what he has for so long!"

Hiruzen closed his eyes in shame. He truly had no excuse for his complacency, his preference for not rocking the boat and challenging the decisions of the Elder Council or the Council of Representatives.

“Are you willing to testify to this?” Tsunade asked Urushi seriously, moving on to a more productive topic of discussion.

Tobirama frustratingly bit his tongue and allowed it.

There would be a time and place to continue with Hiruzen when they were no longer in the presence of children (Shinobi of the Leaf or not).

“I’ll do what is needed of me if it means the children are protected” Urushi declared, his determination unwavering. 

“Then I’d like you to take Urushi into protective custody Kakashi. The last thing we need is for him to go missing” Tsunade ordered. 

Kakashi nodded, his ANBU training immediately coming back into effect as he escorted Urushi out of the Office.

After the door closed behind them the remaining adults in the Office turned to Naruto and Shikamaru. 

“Now, is there a particular reason the two of you seem to be working together on some secret mission against Danzo?” Tsunade questioned sternly. 

The two of them flinched as bit at the accusation. 

“Well, it’s kind of a long story” Naruto said nervously. 

“Stories happen to be my specialty. And as it happens I’ve currently got plenty of time on my hands to listen” Jiraiya prodded. 

The rest of the room continued to stare expectantly at the duo as if to say ‘you’re-not-getting-out-of-this-one’.

“When Naruto and I were ten we were attacked by some Waterfall Shinobi. When we were trying to escape them we overheard one of them say that having brats steal their document, and ANBU tracking them wasn’t a part of the deal Danzo had made them” Shikamaru began uneasily.

Everyone in the room tensed. 

“Obviously that statement confused us too. At that time the only thing I knew about Danzo was that he lead a subsection of the ANBU, and to avoid him at all costs. So Naruto and I looked at the document that was tied to the hidden kunai Naruto found” Shikamaru continued, “It turned out that the document contained vital information about how to covertly invade the Leaf and deactivate the invisible Sensory Barrier surrounding it”

“WHAT!?”

“How did they even get their hands on such information?!” Tobirama demanded. 

“We discovered the answer to that later. But at the time I hypothesized that Danzo gave it to them as some kind of a trap or plot, and it turned out that I wasn’t far from the truth” Shikamaru answered.

The adults absorbed the information in varying degrees of silent festering anger. 

“When Iruka-sensei saved us I convinced Naruto to give me the kunai for safekeeping until I could give it to my Dad” Shikamaru explained. 

Shikaku narrowed his eyes at his son. 

“I never received such documents from you” he stated plainly. 

Shikamaru gave him a grim nod.

“You were away on a diplomatic mission to the Fire Daimyo’s Palace” Shikamaru replied. 

“That still doesn’t answer why you did not give them to me when I returned...Unless they were taken from you beforehand” Shikaku speculated, narrowing his eyes at his son. 

“We were kidnapped by a bunch of Root ANBU” Naruto answered for him, his expression bitter and disgruntled.

“What!?” Hiruzen demanded, his heart leaping in his throat.

Shikaku and Tobirama tightened their grip on their folded arms. 

“Yeah they got through all my traps. I tried to escape, but they caught me and knocked me out” Naruto said irately. 

Tobirama silently wished ill thoughts on his former subordinate. 

“And you?” Shikaku asked his son, his expression carefully neutral. 

“They cast a combined, multilayer genjutsu on the house” Shikamaru stated in a bland tone. 

Well that explains why his genjutsu skills are secretly advanced for a genin, Shikaku thought bitterly. 

“Shikamaru had a feeling that people might come after us, but we never expected what happened” Naruto said.

_*Flashback*_

_“Oof!” Naruto and Shikamaru exhaled as they were tossed to the ground like a sack of potatoes._

_They had rope binds confining their hands, arms, legs, and ankles, and black hoods covering their heads._

_Shikamaru could tell from the echoes that they were in an open space and they had been seemingly left alone._

_Seemingly because skilled shinobi are able to avoid detection, especially the ANBU._

_“Hey Shikamaru? You okay?” Naruto asked._

_“Yeah. You?” he asked back._

_“Mostly. Though I’ve definitely got a major headache” Naruto said, sounding irritated._

_“How’s your Rope Escape jutsu?” Shikamaru asked him._

_“Okay, why?” Naruto answered._

_Shikamaru just silently rolled his eyes and waited for the blond to get it._

_“Ohhh. Heh heh. Right” Naruto said embarrassed._

_Shikamaru focused his chakra into the ropes, pushing at them so that they would loosen enough for him to pull free. Unfortunately he felt his chakra being sucked away as he made his attempt._

_“Great. They probably placed Chakra Absorption Seals on them so we couldn’t use our jutsu to escape” Shikamaru concluded with an annoyed growl._

_Naruto grunted in agreement next to him as he tried to break the ropes._

_“Can you get loose?” Shikamaru asked Naruto hopefully._

_“No they got me wrapped up pretty tight” Naruto answered through his struggles._

_“I was afraid of that” Shikamaru muttered, expecting nothing less from ANBU._

_“I have a metal shinobi nail file in my sandal. If I can worm my foot close enough to your hand you can grab it and cut my ropes enough for me to get loose and free us” Naruto said, trying to maneuver himself along the floor._

_Shikamaru didn't bother asking why he had a Shinobi nail file in his sandal. He was just grateful he did._

_The idea worked like a charm and soon enough the two of them were staring around at their surroundings._

_“Where are we?” Naruto asked._

_“Who knows? We might not even be in the Village anymore for all we know” Shikamaru said, looking at the different corridors._

_“Why aren’t they interrogating us or something? I mean they grabbed us for a reason right?” Naruto loudly asked, his voice echoing through the halls._

_“Pipe down will ya? And I don’t know maybe this is part of their scare tactics or something? Besides, why did you have that nail file anyway?” Shikamaru asked, not being able to hold back his curiosity anymore._

_“Uh well…” Naruto trailed off awkwardly._

_Using his inference skills Shikamaru deduced that he had been tied up before and had taken precautions in case he was again._

_“Anyway, we gotta figure out a way out of here. Any ideas?” Shikamaru asked, changing the subject._

_“I don’t know? Eeny meeny miney moe?” Naruto suggested._

_“Are you being serious here?” Shikamaru questioned irately._

_“Hey! It’s not like we have many options! We have no idea where we are and there are four hallways we can take, besides I don’t see you coming up with anything better!” Naruto snapped back._

_“What a drag” Shikamaru muttered, knowing that Naruto was ultimately right._

_“Fine. Let’s go this way then” Shikamaru said, turning to go down the hallway behind them, halting when Naruto grabbed onto his arm._

_“Uh, actually, I don’t have a good feeling about that way” Naruto said slowly, scratching his cheek sheepishly._

_Shikamaru looked at him critically for a moment._

_“Why?” he asked slowly._

_“I can’t explain it, but I’m just getting bad vibes from that direction” Naruto said cringing a bit at his own explanation, hoping that Shikamaru wouldn't laugh at him._

_'Could he maybe be a sensor?' Shikamaru wondered, 'If he is I’d be safer to take his word on it than to ask too many questions since he doesn’t seem to realize it himself'_

_“Are you getting those vibes from any of the other directions?” Shikamaru asked._

_"Uh", Naruto took a moment to himself to ‘feel’, listening to his instincts, and slowly nodded, “The left and front hallways don’t feel safe either”_

_“Then right it is” Shikamaru concluded._

_The two of them kept to the shadows of the hallway the best as they could._

_'Where the heck are all the ANBU? This is too easy' Shikamaru thought._

_They saw a light up ahead and paused at the doorway to listen for anyone on the other side. After a moment they nodded at each other in agreement and cautiously made their way into the new open room._

_Suddenly two ANBU using the Camouflage jutsu slashed at their stomachs with their tantos, the ‘Naruto’ and ‘Shikamaru’ fading away._

_“Clone jutsu” Tiger determined._

_At that moment the two ANBU were paralyzed in place._

_“Gotcha. Shadow Possession jutsu success” Shikamaru said coming into the room._

_“Your plan actually worked!” Naruto happily cheered._

_“Not bad. Sending out Clones in case of an ambush” Shark praised._

_“Naruto was getting 'bad vibes' halfway through so you can thank him” Shikamaru smirked._

_“Don’t get cocky brats. You’ve still got a long way to go” Tiger lectured._

_Suddenly, the bodies of the two ANBU were engulfed by a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared rolled up carpets were left in their place._

_“Substitution” Shikamaru said through grit teeth, releasing his jutsu._

_“That is enough” a voice commanded._

_Naruto and Shikamaru turned to face the sudden repetitive clacking echoing throughout the room._

_A brown haired man covered in bandages everywhere but his face came walking into the room from the corridor ahead of them. Shikamaru got the feeling that even with one arm and a cane that this man was not someone to mess with._

_“You’re…Danzo” Naruto said, his face scrunched as if remembering something._

_Shikamaru narrowed his eyes._

_So this was the Danzo his father and those Waterfall ninja mentioned._

_“Why are we here!?” Naruto demanded of the man._

_Danzo pointedly ignored the outburst._

_“This was a test wasn’t it?” Shikamaru determined, eyeing the man suspiciously._

_“Very good” Danzo remarked._

_“A test?” Naruto muttered, a sudden realization coming to his eyes._

_“I already told you that I’m not interested in joining you!” Naruto shouted irately._

_Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at that. He was definitely going to have Naruto tell him about that later (if they survived)._

_“None-the-less I think you can also figure out why else the two of you are here” Danzo probed on._

_“The documents the Waterfall ninja had right?” Shikamaru immediately replied._

_“Indeed” Danzo answered._

_“I know that your goons probably already took them from my house when they grabbed me. The question is why you took us in the first place instead of just letting me hand the documents over to my father” Shikamaru challenged._

_“As expected of Shikaku’s son” Danzo said approvingly._

_“I had a squad undercover trying to expose a plot by our allies of the Waterfall Village. I had them set up an opportunity for them to steal some of our Intel during a covert joint operation in order to test the rumor that they were trying to find a secret way inside our Village. They took the bait and tried to escape with the documents. Naturally of course the document they did 'steal' possessed falsified information” Danzo explained unashamed._

_'It makes sense' Shikamaru thought._

_However, there was one major thing wrong with it._

_“Did Gramps know about this mission?” Naruto questioned skeptically._

_And bingo._

_“My job is to protect the Leaf Village from the shadows. So long as everything I order benefits the Village the Third Hokage does not need to know of every mission I have my men carry out” Danzo replied._

_“Because he wouldn’t approve” Shikamaru concluded._

_“Indeed, my former squad-mate is too kind-hearted for his own good. It is for this reason why I bask in the darkness of the shinobi profession while he stands in the light of the sun instead” Danzo justified._

_And to that, neither of them had anything to say._

_“The two of you show promise. How would you like to protect the Leaf from a position in the ANBU?” Danzo offered._

_“No thanks. I’m not all that great nor do I want to be. And it’s too much of a drag to be otherwise” Shikamaru said as carelessly as possible._

_“Well, I’m going to be Hokage someday so I can’t spend all my time in the ANBU. I want people to look at me with awe, not more fear and hate” Naruto declared firmly._

_Shikamaru glanced at Naruto from the corner of his eye._

_'Fear and hate huh?' he thought to himself._

_Danzo nodded as if he had expected their answers._

_“The offer is always there. And I don’t think I have to tell you boys that the information said in this room doesn’t leave” Danzo warned._

_Sweat rolled down Shikamaru’s forehead, and Naruto loudly swallowed at the heavy amount of killing intent directed their way._

_*End Flashback*_

At the end of the story Hiruzen was harshly rubbing his temples while Tobirama looked like he was a nanosecond away from Flashing out of the room to finish off Danzo himself. 

Tsunade had already made a dent in her desk, and Jiraiya had the most serious (and dangerous) look Naruto had ever seen on him. 

Shikamaru on the other hand had never been afraid of his father until this very moment. 

Shikaku Nara was an aloof man who caved to his overbearing wife, and sometimes gave Shikamaru the impression that he was a wise drunken sage. But right now his eyes only showed a merciless rage that promised great pain and suffering to anyone so unfortunate as to be caught in his ire. 

“Regardless of his intentions we now have enough justifiable suspicions to bring him in for questioning” Jiraiya stated firmly, a cold gleam in his eyes. 

“The problem is now getting him to come out of the hiding place he’s holed up in without tipping off his suspicions” Hiruzen reminded them.

“Actually...For right now I think we should just let him come out on his own while we take the opportunity to amass our case against him” Shikaku suggested, a dangerously sharp look in his gaze, "Inform the rest of the Shinobi Council and be ready in case Danzo decides to strike back at us"

“I agree. As much as I’d like to have him questioned now, it would still leave the problem of his followers. It would be smarter to gather as much intel as possible first, on both him and the Shinobi under him. Finding out just how deep he has his 'roots' in the Village's affairs” Tobirama reluctantly agreed.

“I will come with a strategy in the meantime” Shikaku declared brusquely, turning to leave immediately after. 

As he walked towards the door Shikaku grabbed Shikamaru’s arm and pulled him along with him. 

“We’re going home” he said simply.

The grip wasn’t painful, but it was firm enough that Shikamaru knew that it wasn’t up for discussion, the two of them leaving Naruto alone with the former and current Hokage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Danzo is plotting. But so is Tobirama and Shikaku. Beware the pissed off parents!
> 
> Let me know what you think about the apostrophes for thoughts!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> I'm going to apologize ahead of time for all the POVs in this chapter.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it anyway!

**(Shikaku’s POV)**

I have never considered myself a model parent by any means.

Though I did enjoy spending any time I could get with my son. Admittedly I missed how Shikamaru used to fall asleep on my lap when he was cloud watching before he had entered the Academy.

Even so, I preferred that Shikamaru learned through his own life experiences, and wanted him to find his own motivations to drive him forward in life.

When Shikamru had been ten and point blank asked me why Naruto was hated so much by the Village, I merely told him to come to his own conclusions about the boy. Neither telling him to avoid or befriend the blonde. 

To me his son was an open book. Curious, and observant, and more talented than he wanted to show.

How talented I couldn’t definitively say with the surprising revelation of his genjutsu skills. Shikamaru hid his competence behind a façade that much he knew.

What I didn’t know was just how good of a liar my son was.

Coming back from my mission at the Fire Daimyo I swore my heart stopped for a moment when I was told foreign ninja had attacked my son. I could not think of a greater pain than if Shikamaru was killed.

The fear of that unsettled me more than anything else.

Yes I knew as shinobi (no matter the age) we could die at any time. But to me a parent was not supposed to outlive their children.

Hearing how Danzo had threatened Shikamaru angered me to a degree I had never felt before.

And I _was_ furious.

Furious at Danzo for daring to go after my child. Furious at Shikamaru for never telling me. And furious at the inner corruption of the Village and the world in general.

But even through all my anger I was mostly just afraid. Afraid that if I looked away for a second I would turn back to see my son’s corpse.

The possible image of that burned within my brain caused me think back to the reason their Village was founded. The Warring States Era had been some of the darkest days in history, including the senseless slaughter of children (Of any living thing really). Couples birthed several children in the hopes that maybe one would survive to have children of their own. Clan Heads were no different. Multiple ‘spares’ were seen as a necessity in order to ensure there would be an heir.

When the Village was founded it opened up the possibility that children didn’t have to die at the ripe old age of seven. As such births lessened. Even during the Clan Purges of the Second Shinobi World War, the number of births did not increase, which resulted in the eventual near extinction of many of the Leaf Village’s most prestigious Clans, including the Senju, and Hatake Clans. Most of the Clans managed to eventually recover. Unfortunately the Senju and Hatake did not.

But even still, no one wanted to go back to the Pre-Village mindset of multiple ‘spares’. In a stark contrast, Clans nowadays usually only had one child per couple, no more than two. My grandfather would have criticized me for not having at least one additional ‘spare’ in case something happened to my first.

Back during the Back Hills Incident I had been terrified that my beloved only son could have been killed by enemy shinobi. Now I realized that if Danzo had deemed it necessary…I could have lost Shikamaru to Danzo and I might never have known the truth.

The fact that Shikamaru had successfully lied to me for two years just made me angrier at myself for failing to notice that something was wrong. And somehow I needed to drill it into Shikamaru’s head that he needed to inform me of serious things like that.

Although if I was being honest with myself I understood Shikamaru’s potential reasoning for not saying anything. He and Naruto had no real substantial proof to support any of their claims, and the fact that they hadn’t immediately handed over documents as important as they were saying was a serious strike against them. It also shed some light as to why Shikamaru failed the Graduation Exam as badly as he did the first time, and why he made sure to hide his skills so well. Shikamaru had wanted Danzo to lose interest in him by showing how much a slacker he was (which in itself was true enough). Though it possibly just interested him more.

My son was a target and I needed to make sure that he would be ready for what that meant.

Letting go of Shikamaru’s arm I turned to face him as we stood in the heart of our Clan’s forest.

“I’ve been too lax with you. From now on you will be training with me as well as Asuma” I stated, making it clear it wasn’t an option.

“Oh man what a drag!” Shikamaru groaned.

I narrowed my eyes at him, causing him to flinch slightly.

“My son will not be buried before me” I declared coldly.

Shikamaru grimaced, his face resigned.

“Now let us begin”

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

I die peacefully knowing that I had protected my young subordinates, only to be resurrected by my own jutsu less than fifty years later to find that one of said subordinates was spitting on the very reason this Village was founded for in the first place.

To make matters worse, two of my former students supported his actions.

How half of the very people I had died for could both betray my ideals, and intentionally do harm unto my own blood was not something I could comprehend.

Where had I gone wrong?

Looking at my great-grandson’s extremely nervous expression I decided to hold off that train of thought until later. Right now Naruto needed my attention. And it was high time we were properly introduced.

**(Naruto’s POV)**

'I can’t believe Shikamaru abandoned me to the geezers! I’m totally screwed! Grandma Tsunade is probably going to send my butt into orbit for this! I never even had the chance to have Ichiraku Ramen one last time! People are supposed to have last meal rights aren’t they!?' I thought fearfully.

“Naruto calm down. You look like you’re going to give yourself a panic attack” Grandma Tsunade said, trying to put me at ease. 

“S-so uh, what’s gonna happen to me now?” I asked nervously. 

“Is that what you’re worried about? Come on kid give us a bit of credit here. Sure you guys probably should have told the Third about this earlier, but no one can blame you for not saying anything. Danzo isn’t someone you cross lightly. Hell even we have to take precautionary measures” Pervy Sage remarked.

I couldn’t help but breathe out a huge sigh of relief.

“That’s good. I was kinda worried there for a second” I said, letting out a relieved chuckle.

“None-the-less there is something very important that we need to speak with you about” Gramps said.

“Yeah? Well, what is it?” I asked, confused as to what could possibly be so important. 

“It’s about your family Naruto” Gramps admitted.

I just looked at him completely baffled. 

“…What about my family? I’m an orphan, I don’t have any family” I said slowly, wondering why the old man was bringing up my family now when he’s ignored every question I’ve ever asked him about my parents in the past. 

“Your parents may no longer be alive, however, you do have living relatives” Gramps answered calmly. 

I felt my eyes widen in my shock. 

I had living relatives. I had _living_ relatives!

For once I was speechless.

I had spent my entire life being hated and alone only to find out that I _did_ have family members that were still alive...But if that were the case then why didn’t they take me in?

Of course it only took a second for my brain to come up with an answer to _that_ question.

“Why are you telling me this now after ignoring all of my questions for years?” I ask with a hard edge to my voice. 

“Because it’s time you knew why it was kept a secret” Gramps replied, giving me an apologetic look.

I tried not to grit my teeth at that. 

“I already know it’s because of the Kyubi. Which is why I don’t understand why you’re even telling me all this now. If they haven’t taken me in before they’re not going to now” I said bitterly. 

I’d rather save myself the rejection.

“It’s a bit more complicated than that Naruto. Just hear him out okay?” Pervy Sage said seriously.

After a moment’s consideration I nodded. 

“When the Nine-tailed Fox was sealed inside you the Elder Council decreed that no one from a clan was allowed to adopt you. Which meant that myself, your god-mother, and relatives were not able to take you in after your parents died” Gramps began explaining. 

“But why?” I asked, my tone almost pleading.

“Use your head Naruto. Jinchuriki are typically seen as a powerful military weapons. Handing something like that over to a single Clan could disrupt the balance of power within the Village if they managed to trick you into becoming a weapon solely for them” Pervy Sage harshly explained. 

“That…makes sense” I reluctantly conceded.

I could see where he was coming from. It would be like how Gaara was supposed to be the Sand Village’s ‘trump card’ during the Invasion.

“So wait, if that’s the case then why are you even bothering telling me about my family now if they’re not allowed to take me in?” I asked, completely baffled.

Frankly if they're not able to take me in and have already ignored me for this long I’m not really sure if I even _want_ to know who they are. 

“Because no one would dare contest my claim” Lord Second declared. 

“Huh?” I said unintelligibly, blinking multiple times as if it would help me figure out what the heck he meant. 

“Naruto, I’d like you to meet the former Second Hokage Tobirama Senju. Your great-grandfather” Gramps revealed.

Blink. Blink. Blink. 

“Hahahahahahahaha. That’s a good one. I almost believed you for a second there” I said trying (and failing) to control my laughter. 

Though looking around the room Pervy Sage and Grandma Tsunade had shit-eating grins on their faces. Even Lord Second had a slight smirk on his face. 

“Yes well, I can assure you that it was no joke” Gramps said, sounding like he was trying to cover up a laugh. 

“What? You can’t honestly think that I’d believe that I was related to a Kage?” I declared, giving Gramps a pointed disbelieving look. 

“Actually you’re related to four” Pervy Sage deadpanned.

“What?! How the hell am I related to four of the Hokage?” I demanded, my volume raising slightly. 

“Well Naruto when a mommy and daddy love each other very much –” 

“You know that’s not what I meant Pervy Sage!” I yelled at him in frustration.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me Pervy Sage?!” he screamed back at me. 

“Both of you _be quiet_!” Grandma Tsunade commanded, holding up her fist at us in a threatening manner. 

“Hai…” we both mimed, paling at her anger. 

“Now, this isn’t a joking matter Naruto. Sarutobi-sensei is telling you the truth” Grandma Tsunade assured, eyeing me seriously. 

“Wait, this really isn't some kind of a joke?” I asked skeptically.

I look back over at the Second Hokage and give him a once over. Well…we both did have spikey-ass hair…But how am I related to someone as awesome as him? He’s supposed to be a genius, and I’m…not. Not to mention he’s from the Senju cl–

“Wait! If I’m related to him does that mean I’m…” I couldn’t even finish my sentence. There was no way it was possible. 

“Yes. You are a member of the Senju clan Naruto” Lord Second finished. 

“…But…how?” I questioned in disbelief. 

“Your father was a Senju and your mother was an Uzumaki. You may go by your mother’s name, but on your birth certificate your true name is Naruto Senju” Tobirama explained firmly. 

For once I had no comeback. Instead I just stared into his eyes to see if this was all just some horrible joke. But his eyes never wavered once. He was totally and completely serious. 

“…Okay…Then what now?” I asked to no one in particular, unsure what...this meant for me.

“If it is alright with you, I’d like for you to move in with me” Tobirama requested. 

“Why would you want me to move in with you?” I asked him skeptically, trying to figure out his motives. 

“You are my only surviving kin, and I’d like to personally take you under my wing as my student” Tobirama stated honestly.

“Really!?” I asked, my enthusiasm starting to build. The Second Hokage wanted to train me of all people?! 

“That is if you’re okay with the arrangement?” Tobirama asked just to be sure. 

“You’ve got to be kidding! Of course I’m okay with that! This is going to be awesome!” I happily declared, bouncing on the balls of my feet.

“I’m warning you now, I’m not going to go easy on you. I’m going to make you work harder than you ever have before” Tobirama declared with a challenging gaze. 

“Bring it on gramps! I already know there’s no shortcuts to getting stronger. Just you wait, I can take anything you throw at me dattebayo!” I challenged him right back with a confident smirk.

“Those are good convictions to have. Let’s see if you can live up to them” Tobirama praised, giving me a smirk of his own. 

“Naruto, why don’t you take your great-grandfather to your current residence so that the two of you can move your things into his residence?” Gramps suggested. 

“Oh yeah, right. Uh, are you still busy now or?” I asked him awkwardly. 

“Now is acceptable” Tobirama agreed.

“Great. I’ll show you my apartment then” I stated, near bolting out of the Hokage's Office.

**(Sakura’s POV)**

“I’m guessing Sasuke didn’t want the tomato galette you took the time to make him” my Aunt Hanabira said neutrally, though I could tell she was displeased. She wasn’t a fan of my feelings for Sasuke…or Sasuke in general. 

“No he took it” I said, tasting my broth. 

“Needs a bit more salt” I muttered, reaching for the salt tin. 

“Oh? Then who are you cooking for?” she asked curiously. 

“Naruto. All he ever eats is ramen, so I’m making him a batch with vegetables in it. Heaven knows he needs more of them in his diet” I said casually. 

My Aunt looked at me in surprise. 

“You’ve never cooked for him before” she pointed out. 

I couldn’t deny that it wasn’t true. 

“Before the tomato galette I never made Sasuke any food before either” I countered. 

“True” she admitted, “Because you knew the Uchiha wouldn’t accept it”

I couldn’t deny that either.

The first time I tried to give Sasuke and Naruto a snack my mother made Naruto had been on a mission, and Sasuke and bolted away only to end up in the hospital that same day.

Sasuke had given me a slightly annoyed look, and grunted that he could take care of himself, but he took the galette anyway. Of course I knew Naruto would take the ramen. It was his favorite food after all, so I didn’t have to worry too much about my cooking being rejected.

“You’ve changed a lot since you’ve graduated” my Aunt noted casually. 

“I’m a shinobi now. I have to get stronger if I want to keep up with my team and protect my Village” I say, pausing slightly as I was stirring. 

“That’s a good resolve to have” she said approvingly. 

My Aunt had never seemed to like me growing up. She always gave me a disapproving stare, like I was gum underneath her shoe. Even so, I wanted to show people that I could be a successful kunoichi like she was. Most of my family are support shinobi with the exception of my father and her. My father created smell-affecting genjutsu techniques, and my aunt created meditative ninjutsu and had a personal panther summon. Together they were trying to make their jutsu into hiden techniques for the Clan, but as far as I was aware no one else has picked up the techniques yet. 

Of course when I asked my father to teach me for the Final Round of the Chunin Exam he refused, saying that I needed to work on my skill deficits first.

He wasn’t wrong, but it still hurt that he and Mom always said no to training with me. 

Surprisingly my Aunt confronted me and had decided to appoint herself as my temporary tutor even though she had her own squad to worry about.

In that month I learned a few things. First, my Aunt never really hated me, she just hated that I was still in my ‘insufferable girly child phase’ (her words not mine), and was under the opinion that I should act more appropriately since I was the Clan heiress. 

Secondly, I learned the truth about my family’s kekkei genkai. _That_ was a real eye opener. It explained everything. Including why my Aunt doesn’t want kids of her own.

Thanks to my Aunt I was able to beat Dosu (serves him right!). But both Naruto and Sasuke were so strong my training almost feels like it meant nothing.

All I want is for people to see that I can stand next to them without worrying if I’ll be okay. I’m a ninja too dammit!

As much as I care for my teammates, nowadays I feel like strangling them when something happens and they immediately tell me to stay back and let them handle it, or jumping to my rescue when I can dodge an attack myself. 

Sure sometimes I need help, but so do we all! I’ve protected both of them from being blindsided just as much as they keep trying to unnecessarily protect me! Even Kakashi-sensei does it! It wasn’t fair!

Of course it was my own fault for allowing myself to take up the role of side assistance. Our squad seems to have a knack for getting into trouble, so someone is always needed to watch their backs, or our client’s in some cases. I may have realized this rut during the Chunin Exam and vowed to change it, but the question was how?

How can I both get stronger, and be able to protect my teammates if they are hurt? 

I’ve been trying to come up with the answer to that question for three weeks now and I still have yet to come to any kind of solution.

I sighed. 

Lady Tsunade truly was as amazing as all the stories about her regaled. She was gorgeous, talented, _and_ a powerful kunoichi. The epitome of what all aspiring kunoichis desire to be. She can fight, and heal people if they are hurt- 

I stopped stirring the noodles as the realization came to me. 

“Are you okay?” my Aunt asked me, sounding mildly concerned. 

I turned to smile at her. 

“I’ve never been better” I confidently proclaimed. 

My Aunt seemed slightly taken aback if her facial expressions were anything to go by. 

“How so?” she asked me, curious by my proclamation. 

“Because now I have a real goal to strive towards!” 

**(Tsunade’s POV)**

“Revitalizing the cellular structure” I muttered lowly to myself as I took a sip of my sake. 

Hopefully I was on the right track to figuring out the solution I needed. Seeing the genin rosters had brought up an issue I’d forgotten in all the chaos with Naruto back to my attention. 

“Ah ha!” a familiar voice sounded. 

I looked up to see Shizune irately stomping over to my booth. 

“We finally sniffed you out!” Shizune declared, Tonton giving what sounded like an exasperated oink alongside her. 

“Do you mind?” I told her dismissively, turning my attention back to the medical book. 

“Huh?!” Shizune stuttered. 

Even though I wasn’t looking at her I could picture the shock that was no doubt written all over her face. 

“Lady Tsunade! Are you actually _working_!?” Shizune shouted, sounding as if the world itself was about to catch fire. Annoyingly Tonton made a sound of agreement with her. 

“Be quiet will you? I’m trying to concentrate here” I said, opting to just ignore her as her mind spiralled in confusion. 

Sure I hated doing deskwork (and the Hokage position was truly doing me no favors in that aspect), but I know when I need to crack down and work. She’s just too used to all the years she’s spent with my irresponsible self traveling outside the Village. Back then I was just done with the world, so being responsible wasn’t exactly on my list of high priorities. 

“Oh just calm down” I stated exasperatedly, turning to the next page, “I was thinking about that medical ninja Kabuto”. 

“What about him?” Shizune asked confused. 

“Specifically his body’s ability to create new cells. If I could apply that technique to a patient…” I said trailing off. 

“You mean Rock Lee don’t you?” she asked sadly. 

“Even if it only increased his chances from 50 to 51%, I think it might be worth a try” I told her determinedly. 

“Lady Tsunade the success of that technique depends so much on the person doing it. There’s no guarantee that even you’d be able to pull it off” Shizune tried to reason. 

I calmly reached over for my cup of sake. 

“Well. There’s only one way to find out” I said, giving her a challenging smirk, “I mean I am the Fifth Hokage after all" 

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

Though I would never admit so to anyone, I had been nervous regarding Naruto’s reaction to our relations. 

Ultimately he had reacted as I predicted, though calmer (Honestly I had expected there to be more shouting). 

Naruto was angry, bitter, and hurt, but bounced right back to a happy personality once I had mentioned that I wanted to take him on as a student. In a way it reminded me of how my brother could bounce from being ‘depressed’ to happy within a few seconds. Though I couldn’t help but feel a quiet anger at the fact Naruto had been suspicious of my motives. While it is good for a shinobi to question motives, his suspicions came from learned mistrust. Hopefully with time Naruto will learn that he can trust me wholly. But with something as precious and guarded to the heart as trust, it is not given away easily, even for someone as lonely as him. It will take time, but that is something I have infinite of right now. 

“Alright, here we are!” Naruto said happily. 

Yes, I got the feeling his personality was very much like my Elder Brother’s. 

Looking around the exterior of the complex I could see that it was a bit run down, but mostly maintained. The building, while old and cracked, had a fresh coat of paint on it, and from what I saw a small greenhouse in the back. The foliage was kept up with as well. However, I did not feel any other presences in the building...At least right now. 

“Naruto. How many other tenants reside here?” I asked him curiously. 

“Hm? Oh, I’m the only one who lives in the building” he said, refusing to elaborate. Though he didn’t need to. 

“They all probably moved out when he moved here” I thought bitterly. Naruto unlocked his apartment door and walked inside. 

The apartment itself was much like the rest of the building. It was old, the walls were cracked and dull, and interestingly there were potted plants in each room. Though it wasn’t as messy as I thought it would be. Everything was mostly clean with the exception of the littered kitchen table and an unmade bed. 

Suddenly four copies of my great-grandson passed by me, each of them carrying boxes. 

Walking back into his bedroom I saw most of his things had already been packed away despite are arrival only a few minutes ago. 

“The joys of Shadow Clones” I thought amused. 

“Alright, I’m all packed” Naruto declared with a grin not fifteen minutes later. 

“Good. Now to get it all to my residence” I stated, motioning toward the closest box. 

“Sounds good. I’ll make a couple more Shadow Clones and we can take it all at once” he exclaimed. 

“Hold on” I tell him, making him freeze in the middle of crossing his fingers. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked confused. 

“Nothing. I merely have an easier way to accomplish the task without you needlessly wasting chakra” I say cryptically, wanting to see his expression to my Flying Thunder God jutsu. 

“Okay?” Naruto says curiously. 

I stepped over to the first stack of boxes and place my hand atop them. Immediately the boxes vanished, teleporting right to my space in the Senju Compound. 

“Whoa that’s so cool! How’d you do that?” Naruto asked excitedly, bouncing on the heels of his feet. 

“With my Flying Thunder God technique. It is a type of space-time ninjutsu” I inform him amused. 

“Oh I get it. It’s like the Summoning jutsu right? Only the opposite” he said. 

“In a way. This technique teleports people or objects to a previously marked location” I explained as I teleported the remaining boxes. 

“So they’re already at your apartment?” Naruto asked excitedly. 

“Exactly” I tell him. 

“Wow! That is way easier than my way” he declared. 

“Now for us” I said, placing my hand on Naruto’s shoulder. Before he could question my action I flashed us to my residence. 

Not a moment later the two of us were standing in my residence within the Main Household section of the Senju Compound. 

“That’s _definitely_ more convenient than walking, that’s for sure” Naruto said impressed. 

“We are in my section within the Senju Main Household. I cleared out a room for you down the hall to the right. While you unpack I shall prepare you lunch” I informed him. 

Naruto nodded, looking very much still in shock that any of this was happening. 

As I prepped his meal I could help but wonder how he was going to react to finding out the rest of his heritage. Saru may not want others to know, but Naruto himself deserved too. 

Frankly it was an odd feeling cooking for someone other than myself. I married very late in life (in terms of the standard expectations of the time), and died before my son had even been born. My wife and I had only been married a few months when she told me that she was pregnant. 

I had been both elated and terrified at the same time. Happy to have a little human that was my own to love and care for, and terrified that something would happen to them. Unfortunately I died before I even got to see my son’s face. 

Saru had showed me pictures of my late son and his wife, and of my grandson and his wife. Apparently my son had died when Minato was only a few months old, making his wife promise to have Minato go by her surname for his own safety’s sake. And Minato himself died the day Naruto was born. It had to be some kind of curse that the men in my line don’t get to know their children. 

“Hopefully that will not happen to Naruto” I thought hopefully. 

Naruto came into the kitchen just as I was setting down his meal. 

“Thanks for the food” he said smiling, happily taking a bite of the sushi. 

“Wow this is really good!” Naruto praised. 

“I had plenty of practice cooking for myself in the past” I replied. 

Truthfully I wanted to make sure Naruto was eating properly. He seemed to be a bit shorter than what was normal for his age. 

“Probably from malnutrition” I thought bitterly. 

Suddenly the smile on his face dropped and confusion spread onto his features. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked him. 

“How come you aren’t eating?” Naruto asked curiously. 

“Ah. I do not require food or sleep anymore now that I have been reanimated” I informed him. 

“Reani-what? How does that work?” he asked, his brows scrunching in confusion. 

He was definitely the inquisitive type. 

“The Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation jutsu binds the soul of the deceased to a vessel sacrifice, restoring them as they were when they had been alive. Our chakra is infinitely regenerable, along with our bodies, but even so, the deceased soul is not actually living themselves” I explained. 

Naruto blinked for a moment. 

“So a person is used as a vessel to contain a soul like I contain the Nine-Tails” Naruto concluded. 

I was surprised that he could somewhat understand the concept as it was not an easy one to grasp, though considering his personal experience it’s understandable that he would pick up on it more quickly. 

“Exactly” I confirmed. 

Naruto didn’t look too happy about being right though. My brother had hated the jutsu as well. 

“In the end the technique was labeled as kinjutsu and sealed away in the Scroll of Seals. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at things Orochimaru somehow learned the jutsu and revived me. Luckily I had safeguards in place should that ever happen” I informed him. 

This very jutsu was probably the reason Orochimaru wanted Mizuki to steal the Scroll of Seals in the first place. So that he could continue with his own improvements on the technique. 

“I guess it’s a good thing that wasn’t the first jutsu listed in the Scroll then” Naruto said humorously. As he took a few more bites of his food I decided that now was as good a time as any to broach the subject of his heritage. 

“Naruto, what do you know about your heritage?” I asked him. 

He swallowed hard, having stuffed large amounts of sushi into his mouth. 

“Well, I found out that I was actually an Uzumaki during the Chunin Exams when I met Karin” he began thoughtfully, bringing the chopsticks up to his lips. 

“Karin?” I questioned. 

“Karin Uzumaki. She was on a Grass Team that failed the Second Exam. She confronted me after and said that we were both from the Uzumaki clan and that she wanted to get to know me better since our Clan was basically gone” he said calmly. 

…….What? 

“What do you mean the Uzumakis are basically gone?” I asked him worriedly. 

“Uh, I wasn’t the best in history, but from what I remember the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools was completely destroyed by the other nations because they feared their strength. If I’m remembering things correctly their destruction is what started the Second Shinobi World War and the Clan Purges” Naruto muttered thoughtfully, trying to make sure he was getting his facts right. 

“The only other Uzumaki I’ve met is Sara. I met her during our mission to the Hidden Waterfall Village” he mentioned off-handedly. 

Cold horror seeped into my body. 

Our greatest allied village was no more. 

Our distant relatives the Uzumaki and Namikaze both resided in that Village. 

And if the Uzumaki were gone then the Namikaze most likely were too. 

“And why didn’t you think you were of Uzumaki descent?” I questioned him, trying to move away from the current topic. 

Naruto shrugged. 

“I just didn’t. Not until Karin used her sensing technique on me at least” he said, giving me a slight shrug. 

I took careful note of a hidden hurt in his eyes, but didn’t comment on it. 

“Well you are indeed a Senju that also has Uzumaki and Namikaze ancestry” I confirm for him. 

“Namikaze? Like the Fourth Hokage?” Naruto asked, his eyes suddenly sparking to life. 

An admiration for the Fourth? Talk about irony at its best. 

“Yes. Exactly like the Fourth Hokage” I tell him. 

“I didn’t even know that there was a Namikaze clan. Man, no wonder he was so strong then! He was from a Clan after all!” Naruto exclaimed, mainly to himself. 

That was an…interesting statement. 

The Namikazes had been a smaller but powerful Clan. The fact Naruto has never even _heard_ of them was concerning. 

“Being a member of a Clan does not automatically make someone skilled. One still has to train in order to be an effective shinobi. Having famous parents does not mean you do not have to train yourself. Anyone can become a strong shinobi. Those from Clans just have the advantage of a family to help train them, and a lineage of those who have used and developed their chakra network” I lightly chastised him. 

“Sorry” he apologized sheepishly, scratching his face with his finger. 

“Just remember that” I tell him firmly. 

He nods back enthusiastically. 

“More importantly I will tell you who your parents are” I bluntly declare. 

The amazement in his face couldn’t be described. 

“Really!? I can know their names!?” Naruto shouted loudly as he smacked his hands on the tabletop. 

“Of course” I assured him. 

“Well then who are they!?” Naruto asked excitedly. 

“Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki” I revealed. 

Suddenly, any and all traces of excitement and happiness left his expression. For a long minute he didn’t say anything. His expression flitting back and forth between hurt and disbelief. 

“You’re lying” he finally said, his voice as cold as ice. 

“I am not” I said, trying to gage how to approach the situation as he hadn’t actually voiced any real opinions on the matter. 

Naruto stood up angrily and started walking out of the room. 

“You don’t want to hear about your mother or father?” I asked him, trying incite him to turn around. 

“No” he responded fiercely. 

“And why is that?” I said trying to get him to stay. 

“Cause I was nothing to him” Naruto shouted, turning around to face me once more, fury lined throughout his body. 

“I can assure you that you father –” 

“How would you know?! You’ve never met him either!” he accused. 

To that I had nothing to say. 

“He just wanted a weapon. Just like Gaara’s father” Naruto spat out. 

Who? 

“If he had lived he would’ve tried to have me assassinated too, just like the Kazekage tried to do to Gaara for being a failure of a jinchuriki” Naruto said, bitterly, angrily. 

Ah. Now I finally understood. 

The jinchuriki Naruto fought during the Invasion must’ve told Naruto his backstory. Naruto only having that and his own experiences to go off of likely inferred that his own father had sealed the Nine-Tails in him for much of the same reasons as the Kazekage. 

“Your mother was the jinchuriki before you” I revealed to him. 

Shock interlaid with the anger on his features. 

“The day you were born a ninja claiming to be Madara Uchiha attacked the Village and freed the Nine-Tails from you mother. Your father chose to burden you with being the next jinchuriki because he trusted you to deal with the future threat of that Imposter” I explained him. 

I could see the anger slowly leaving his expression. 

“He wanted you to be seen as a hero. I have no doubt he would be disgusted with how the Village has treated you” I firmly assured. 

Now Naruto just looked frustrated. 

“You don’t have to be happy about it, nor do you have to forgive him for making such a choice for you” I informed him, “Just know that your parents believed in you" 

After a minute Naruto slowly walked back over to the table and sat back down. His expression now sad and defeated rather than enraged. 

“At least now I get why Gramps didn’t tell me earlier” he mumbled bitterly. 

“Indeed” I responded at his omission. 

“So then…my Dad was a Senju?” he asked slowly. 

I fought the urge to smirk. At least now he was interested. 

“Yes. His birth name was Minato Senju” I told him. 

“How come he went by Namikaze?” Naruto asked curiously. 

“Your grandfather wished for him not to as it wasn’t a safe time for those of a Clan” I explained. 

He nodded, not looking like he fully understood, but he took the explanation anyway. 

“So no-one knew that he was a Senju?” Naruto asked. 

I shook my head. 

“The remaining members of the Senju clan knew. That’s why he was able to use the Flying Thunder God technique, and why Akio was okay with you knowing the Shadow Clone jutsu” I explained to him. 

“Akio?” Naruto questioned. 

“The Interim Senju Clan Head. Now that Tsunade has returned she will be taking over the clan once more” I informed him. 

“Got it” he replied, but it wasn’t too long before he was fidgeting again. I waited for him to ask what he seemed reluctant to ask. 

“Sooo, won’t the members of the Senju clan be a little confused as to why I’m here?” Naruto hesitantly asked. 

I took careful note of how he didn’t include himself as part of the Clan. 

“You are a Senju. Remember that” I told him firmly. 

Naruto blushed in embarrassment. 

“Besides, after today they will not question your presence here” I assured him. 

“What do you mean?” Naruto asked confused. 

“You will be introduced to them as the Senju clan heir one hour from now” I informed him. 

“EHHHHH!!!” 

**(Shizune’s POV)**

I mumbled unintelligibly as I suddenly felt the incredible stiffness in my neck and back. Lightly working my healing chakra I loosened my aching muscles. 

Lifting myself up from the table I stretched out my sleepiness. Looking around I realized that I was still at the restaurant I had caught Lady Tsunade hiding out in. 

“I must’ve fallen asleep” I thought, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. 

Unfortunately Lady Tsunade had also vanished once again. 

Letting out a sigh I looked to the clock above the bar counter to see that it was actually fifteen minutes til the Senju Clan meeting she was supposed to attend. 

“Well that explains why she’s not here” I mumbled. 

I looked back down at the books she had left at her seat and gave another exasperated sigh. I should’ve figured she’d leave the books for me to carry back to the Office. 

As I moved to close the book in front of me I paused. 

Right on the opened page were a set of calculations. 

58% 

“She did it” I exclaimed with pride. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naruto finds out his heritage! Sakura has a new goal! Shikamaru is forced to train! Tsunade has come up with a way to help Lee! Celebration time!
> 
> Next up you will all meet the current remaining members of the Senju Clan. How will they react to Naruto? Stay tuned to find out!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> Naruto meets the Senju clan!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Third POV)**

“Today’s meeting is incredibly important. As you all know, while I’ve been acting as the Clan Head I am merely a fill-in. The true Clan Head Lady Tsunade has returned and is hereby in charge from this point forward. Make sure you give her your respect” Akio declared, gesturing for Tsunade to step forward. 

“Thank you. Obviously I’ve been away for over a decade so I don’t expect you all too just accept me right away. However, I do promise you that I will take your thoughts into consideration. Some things will change, but it is all in the best interest of restoring our Clan to what it once was” Tsunade confidently exclaimed.

She could remember back to a time when the courtyard had been packed to the brim and overfilling, not near large enough for even all the adults of the Clan. The echoes of laughter from the children running up and down the corridors and halls.

Looking at the few of her Clan that remained she could see the pride and happiness at her words building up in all of them.

All except one boy who looked to be around Naruto’s age. He had an almost frustrated look to his amber eyes as his mouth quirked in almost a half-scowl.

“There is also the question of my successor” Tsunade continued.

And at that Tsunade noticed the boy’s eyes snapped up to hers almost expectantly. 

“As you all know I have no children or descendants. However, I am not the only living member of the Main Branch” Tsunade bluntly revealed, seeing no point in beating around the bush.

“What?!”

“How is that possible?”

“How do we not know of this person?”

“Silence!” Tsunade commanded as the volume of the disruption began to increase.

Though they had immediately quieted down Tsunade was met with a myriad of incredibly confused stares. 

Of course minus one.

Tsunade noted how the boy now looked as furious as he was shocked. Offended almost. As if an injustice had been done to him.

“If memory serves he’s Akio’s son…Ah” Tsunade realized, “Now his reaction makes sense”

“What we are about to tell you is a matter of the utmost secrecy. Until you are told otherwise no one is to repeat what is said here today” Akio fiercely proclaimed, the warning in his tone unmistakable. 

‘He certainly has the backbone of a good leader’ Tsunade thought impressed. 

“You knew?” Akio’s wife, Keiko inquired, her tone almost accusatory as she narrowed her amber eyes at her husband.

From what Tsunade recalled from the personal profiles she had read in order to refamiliarize herself with the remaining members of her family, of all the (few) Clan members here she was the only one married in. According to her file she was a civilian-born that had clawed her way up the Shinobi ranks, making Chunin by sixteen. Her bold personality made her a confident leader out in the field. A fact that likely assisted her in running the Clan beside Akio.

“I had deduced the truth on my own eight years ago. When I confronted Lord Third about it I was ordered to keep my discovery to myself” Akio explained, his voice calm and controlled, unphased by his wife's scrutinizing gaze.

“But why? The situation makes no sense” Ayaka Senju exclaimed, thoroughly confused as she held onto her young daughter's shoulders.

“I agree. If there was another member of our Clan, a member of the Main Branch no-less, there should be no reason to keep their identity hidden” Tsubaki Senju reasoned, her posture firm and proper even as she sat on the stone bench underneath the "Tree of Life" next to her daughter, Moriko.

Tsunade could recall planting that very tree with her grandfather before he passed away.

She couldn't help but see the irony in having the Clan meeting in an area of the Compound that was supposed to represent the abundance of life.

“Quite the contrary actually” Yamato pointedly corrected Tsubaki.

All eyes turned to him. 

“Everything about him was made confidential from the day he was _born_ , and for several very good reasons” Yamato stated firmly, crossing his arms across his chest. 

“So you knew as well” Keiko accused, narrowing her sharp eyes at him, displeased by all the secret keeping. 

“I was his ANBU guard for almost eight years from the day he was born. While I agreed with the level of protection I did not agree with the level of secrecy we had to keep. But that was not my choice to make” Yamato defended.

A frustrated silence settled into the group. 

“So what’s his name?” seven year old Haruka Senju asked, looking around expectantly, confused why all the adults seemed so offended and grouchy.

“An excellent question” Tsunade praised, giving the young girl a smile. 

Haruka blushed and proceeded to lean into her mother Ayaka’s skirt, embarrassed at the acknowledgement.

“As I’m sure you all have heard, my great-uncle and the former Second Hokage Tobirama Senju was revived through our Clan’s Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation, and has been remaining in the Village in order to assist in some physical and political repairs” Tsunade detail, noting that minus the four Academy children all the Clan members nodded.

“The Main Branch descendant is his _only_ surviving descendant. His great-grandson” Tsunade revealed, still omitting Naruto's name.

The other Clan members though soaked in the information as if it would help them decipher who it was.

“In fact, I’m sure many of you are at least familiar with _rumors_ about him” Tsunade emphasized threateningly, an aura of warning surrounding her.

All the members (minus Yamato) flinched back, scared at Lady Tsunade's sudden change in demeanor.

“So let me make myself _very_ clear” she continued, “No matter what you _think_ of him, keep in mind that no matter what any of you say, he is the rightful heir of this Clan, and if _anyone_ so much as threatens him, or treats him unkindly in _any_ way, you will be answering to _both_ myself and my Great-Uncle. Are we clear?”

Everyone minus Yamato gulped at the threat.

Tsunade felt bad for subjecting the children to her ire, but everyone needed to be clear. And unfortunately, children can be just as bad as their parents (learned behavior and all that). 

“The warning will be enforced by myself as well” Akio backed sternly, “I will not tolerate any disrespect because of ignorance. Even from my own wife and children”

His wife and three children just looked at him in surprise.

“I think that I should put in that while I am not his guard anymore I won’t hesitate to arrest anyone who attacks him, or breaches a Level One secrecy order” Yamato casually stated, a creepy smile adorning his face.

Of course all this just left the group even more confused as to why they were being threatened not to treat their new Clan member badly. 

Family was family. None of them could think of a single reason they would not treat the great-grandson of the Second Hokage with anything other than respect. 

“Now that we are all on the same page I think it’s time we properly introduce you to your hidden clansman and future Clan Head” Tsunade announced with a smile.

At her announcement, two figures walked out of the Main House. 

All the women sucked in a breath at the boy who walked out with the Second Hokage.

“I’d like to formally introduce you all to Naruto Senju” Tsunade exclaimed.

**(Naruto’s POV)**

I was trying very hard not to shake out of nervousness and fear. 

Sure I deal with people calling me names and treating me poorly on a daily basis, but this was supposed to be my family. And all the adults knew was that I was ‘The Fox Brat’. 

I’ve actually had classes with two kids of the Senju clan before, but I wasn’t friends with either of them. I was held back twice so I didn’t graduate with either of them anyway. Not to mention I haven’t actually associated with them since I was four and five.

I resisted the urge to let out a large sigh. I just knew this meeting wasn’t going to end well. 

Even though he was keeping his expression neutral, I could tell that Grandpa Tobirama wanted to say something. He keeps glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I appreciated that he was standing a bit closer to me for support, but it still didn’t ease my worries. 

I didn’t want to break apart what was left of the Clan, and that’s exactly what my presence is going to do.

There’s no way they’re going to accept me, and Grandpa Tobirama and Grandma Tsunade aren’t going to take well to that. 

Sure I’ll try and change their minds, but it was going to take a while. And I was okay with that. I had to wait twelve years just to find one person who wholly believed in my existence, so I can wait a little longer for them to see I wasn’t a monster too!

Though listening in to the conversation outside I was definitely surprised to hear that a member of the Senju clan had been one of my ANBU guards. 

I racked my brain trying to think which one he could have been. Judging by his voice he kind of sounded like Bear, but I’d need to see him to be sure. 

I flinched a bit at Tsunade’s threat, though I was surprised to hear Bear and Akio stand up for me as well. 

When Grandma Tsunade called us forward I steeled myself as I walked out onto the floorboards into the open area outside into the courtyard. Doing my best to keep my face as emotionless as possible. 

I watched as all the women’s expressions morphed from shock to flinching away in fear or disgust. They each placed a hand on their children protectively as if I was going to jump forward and slit their throats or something. Their children on the other hand just glanced up at them in confusion. 

I recognized Tokio and Moriko from my time in the Academy. Moriko looked surprised, but not in a bad way. Tokio on the other hand looked as if I had pulled a cruel prank on him. 

“What the hell?! Is this some kind of joke?” Tokio shouted, nearly spitting fire. 

“Tokio” Akio said, silently warning his son that he better shut his mouth and now. 

Of course he didn’t listen. 

“There’s no way this loudmouth, troublemaking loser is a Senju!” Tokio shouted furiously, ignoring his father. 

I could feel the rage in my great-grandfather’s chakra increasing and slowly extending to the surroundings. Something needed to be done quickly before Tokio ended up cut apart before he could even blink, or worse, be flattened by Grandma Tsunade’s fist!

I remembered Tokio from back when we were classmates when I was five. He always called me defective because I had the second worst grades in our class. Worse than the clanless kids and even those from pure civilian families, even though I possessed the surname Uzumaki. 

Up until I had met Karin I just figured that Tokio and everyone else was right in that I wasn’t actually an Uzumaki. According to the small bit of information on the Clan in our textbook, Konohagakure History: The Beginning, red hair was a common hair color in the Clan, and mine was a light sunshine blonde. 

Tokio always told me that I didn’t deserve to muddy up the Clan name with my defectiveness. Sadly, he bullied Lee for a similar reason since his grades were worse than mine. 

While we might not really have been friends back then we each stood up for each other when Tokio picked one of us as his target for the day. Even though we didn’t graduate together, it was nice to see what my fellow Comrade of Hard Work had achieved when we competed together in the Chunin Exams. 

Frankly it wasn’t surprising that Tokio still thought of me as he had at the Academy. Most of the people in my own graduating class held much of the same opinion of me up until my Preliminary match against Kiba.

And considering I haven’t seen Tokio since I was five I wasn’t surprised by his reaction in the slightest.

“You better hold your tongue boy” Grandpa Tobirama warned, voice tight. 

“Big brother maybe you should listen” Tokio’s younger sister Yuuka said nervously, holding onto his wrist. Her younger twin brother Kaede nodded frantically in agreement next to her. 

“Seriously Tokio! You do not want to make Grandpa Tobirama and Grandma Tsunade mad!” I warned him, praying that he had a semblance of a self-preservation instinct.

“Shut up you defective pile of genes! You’re the one who shouldn’t be addressing them so familiarly!” Tokio snapped back viciously. 

'Oh shit!' I thought terrified. 

The killing intent in the room increased tenfold as Grandma Tsunade, Akio, and Bear’s anger mixed together with Grandpa Tobirama’s. 

All the women and children were now effectively terrified, while Tokio himself tried to hide his fear behind a facade of defiance.

However, before I could even try and diffuse the situation a fist came out and socked Tokio square in the nose. 

To my relief the killing intent in the courtyard greatly lessened, though was shocked that Moriko had come to my defense.

She had been my classmate during my first year at the Academy when I was four. She had a zero tolerance policy for bullies, and had defended me from classmates that made fun of me for my age and (lack of) skills (though it didn’t help with the teachers). Even still, I was surprised that she was choosing to defend me over her own clansman that she’s probably known all her life. Guess she really does hates bullies no matter who they are.

Shikamaru’s definitely right. Girls are scary!

“You’re the one who hasn’t changed Tokio. You’re still the same immature bully you’ve always been” Moriko scoffed at Tokio as she stood poised above him, glaring down at him as if he were gum on the bottom of her shoe.

“Why the hell are you defending him?” Tokio demanded, still holding his nose, his voice slightly muffled. 

“Humph. You keep acting as if you know anything about him. You’re not in the Academy anymore. You’re a shinobi. And shinobi are supposed to see the underneath. To analyze the larger situation, and to be able to read their opponent, and be able to place their own personal feelings aside so that they are able to be effective leaders. The fact you lack in each of those qualities might be the reason why you’re jonin leader hasn’t recommended you for the Chunin Exams yet” Moriko pointed out mercilessly.

'Damn! She’s even scarier than before!' I thought, both impressed and glad it wasn’t me who’d pissed her off.

Tokio just grit his teeth and gave her a low growl of frustration at her jab at him. 

“Furthermore, while you unjustly think so highly of yourself you are blind to what it is you lack” she continued undaunted, “You say Naruto is a loser and yet everyone, including you, saw how he defeated Neji Hyuga during the Final Round of his very first Chunin Exams as a rookie genin”

The room was stunned to silence. 

“None of that match was luck or chance. It was a match of skills. And Naruto won” Moriko declared pointedly. 

At this point Tokio was trembling with anger, his fingers scraping the dirt as he clenched them into fists, but otherwise he didn’t move to get up. 

“That doesn’t sound like a loser to me” she said, “It sounds like someone who’s trained very hard and deserves to be acknowledged for it”

Everything was still. 

There wasn’t even a breeze of wind moving the windchimes anymore.

I was doing my best to will my stupid welling tears away. 

A brief glance around the room showed Grandpa Tobirama, Grandma Tsunade, Akio, and Bear sending approving grins in Moriko’s direction. 

And while the other women’s eyes were still wary, they now held small traces of guilt within them. The kids were just plain confused as to what the hell was going on. Though I’m guessing they’ll now think twice before calling anyone names anymore. 

Tokio growled as he finally stood up off the ground (Though a hurt pride is not something that is easily picked back up).

“I couldn’t have said it better myself. Now to reiterate. Naruto is the heir of this Clan. However, due to countless extenuating circumstances we cannot reveal his status and identity to the public as of yet. So this is to stay a secret for now. Do you all understand?” Grandma Tsunade questioned firmly.

“Humph. You don’t have to worry about me saying anything” Tokio bitterly scoffed. 

“Tokio” Akio warned once more. 

Tokio just humphed and sprinted out of the courtyard. 

“Tokio!” Akio yelled after him. 

“Leave him. He will be punished later. We’re almost done here anyway” Grandma Tsunade calmly ordered. 

Akio nodded in resigned (disappointed) frustration. 

“Naruto will be living with myself and Tobirama in the Main House from here on. Otherwise things will remain unchanged. With that you may all return to your own devices. Good-Day” Grandma Tsunade dismissed.

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

Immediately after Tsunade dismissed the meeting I turned back into our dwelling. 

Despite the fact I was no longer noticeably exuding killing intent I was still beyond furious and frustrated with how the Meeting had gone. 

“It’s not worth it you know” Naruto said aloud, making me pause mid-step. 

“What are you talking about?” I asked, trying to control the anger in my voice. 

“Being mad at them. It’s not worth it” he proclaimed, looking at me straight in the eyes. 

“His words were out of line” I exclaimed, my voice now containing a harsher edge.

“It’s not his fault. People gossip and just like everyone else he picked up on the hate from the adults. People are afraid of power and what they can’t control. I’ve been dealing with hate like that for as long as I can remember. But I’m a shinobi. And shinobi are those that endure. I’m going to keep getting stronger and someday I’ll show them all that they’re wrong. Someday they _will_ acknowledge me! No matter what I never give up! That’s my ninja way! I’m _going_ to be Hokage someday dattebayo!” Naruto proclaimed, his eyes burning with a determined fire.

I couldn’t help but be stunned by the maturity of his declaration. 

But even moreso I was struck with an odd sense of familiarity.

_*Flashback*_

_“Everyone is stuck in a giant rut that is hundreds of years old. They’re just doing what they’ve been taught by their parents, who learned how to act from their own parents. Hatred caused by a lack of understanding. We hate the Uchiha because we are told too, but other than myself none of are clansman have ever personally interacted with one off of the battlefield. The only way to stop this senseless fighting is to understand each other. But in order for that to happen people have to want to listen to you. In this Age the only way for that to happen is if you have power. If you have power than you have respect and influence. That’s why I’m going to be stronger than anyone! If I’m the strongest they’ll have to acknowledge me! I’m never going to give up hoping for a better life! I **will** make the Village a reality someday just you wait! I’m going to show everyone no matter what!” Hashirama resolutely declared._

_*End Flashback*_

My elder brother had been thirteen years old at the time. 

He and Madara had just been forced apart by the revelation of their clandestine meetings. 

Back then, looking at the sheer determination on my older brother’s face made me feel like Hashirama could accomplish anything, despite how logically impossible his dream was. 

Hashirama was the only person who could ever sway me on the basis of pure faith alone. 

Seeing that same determination in my great-grandson’s eyes stirred up that long forgotten feeling once more. 

My mouth widened into a genuine smile.

“I know you will”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked my OC Senju clan members!
> 
> Next chapter is putting things in motion against Danzo, so stay tuned!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> I know I just posted the last chapter last night, but I've got another one for ya!
> 
> Don't get too spoiled now lol
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Karin’s POV)**

“Come on! Grandpa Tobirama said the Temple is somewhere around here!” Naruto said excitedly as he leaped through the foliage.

“Slow down would you! Physical skills aren’t exactly my forte you know!” I called out with a frustrated pant. 

“But if we get separated you can just find me anyway can’t you?” he questioned, sounding confused. 

“That’s not the point! A gentleman should always stay with the lady no matter how slow she’s going” I corrected, hoping to drill some gender etiquette into his skull. 

“But we’re both ninja aren’t we? Doesn’t that nullify all that stuff?” he asked totally serious. 

“This isn’t a mission you numbskull! It’s rude to leave someone in the dust when you’re supposed to be walking somewhere together!” I shouted at him. 

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, “Sorry”. 

“So what do you know about this place?” I asked him after I had finally caught up to him. 

“Not much” he said honestly, “Grandpa Tobirama told me yesterday that the Temple should be filled with special masks that are shortcuts to Uzumaki clan hiden jutsu, but he wasn’t sure if it was still around or not”

“If we’re lucky it is” I said hopefully, stepping over a root.

Ever since my mother died when I was eight I’ve been trying to find out more about my virtually extinct Clan, especially since I had thought I was the last member.

Hearing Naruto shout his name aloud during the Chunin Exam was one of the greatest shocks of my life.

_*Flashback*_

_I couldn’t help but scowl at how boisterous the genin from the Leaf Village were. They either had to be extremely arrogant or stupid to not realize the tense atmosphere._

_Or maybe they just didn’t care. Either way they were starting to get on my nerves. And frankly, I wasn’t the only one. The team from the Rain Village were very short tempered. I wouldn’t put it past them to attack those rookies out of annoyance._

_Suddenly the loudest most obnoxious voice echoed throughout the small room._

_“My name is Naruto Uzumaki. And I’m going to beat every one of ya dattebayo!”_

_I’m pretty sure I almost fell out of my chair at that declaration._

_I immediately leaned forward with my hands on the desk to get a better look at the guy who claimed to possess the Uzumaki name._

_He had spiky light blonde hair, blue eyes (that I’ll admit are breathtaking), three unusual whisker marks on his cheeks, his skin had a healthy tan to it, and sure enough he possessed the red Uzumaki swirl on the back of his black and orange accented tracksuit._

_My conclusion: he didn’t look like an Uzumaki at all! And it frustrated me to no end._

_“How dare he pose as an Uzumaki!” I thought angrily._

_I couldn’t help but continue to glare at him when we were all assigned our seats._

_Deciding to put my training to good use I reached out with my sensory skills to analyze his chakra._

_What I found was the most incredible thing I had ever felt in the world._

_I had never felt chakra as warm and bright as his before. He was practically the reincarnation of the Sun itself!_

_His colossal reserves and the intensity of the Yang in his chakra convinced me without a shred of doubt, that this Leaf genin was in fact an Uzumaki._

_*End Flashback*_

Of course Naruto himself hadn’t thought he was an actual Uzumaki until I confirmed it for him. 

I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone as happy as he had been when he had realized that it made us family. 

To be honest it had made me happy as well to know that I had someone else in the world, and that I wasn’t the last of our Clan. Sure he didn’t know anything about our family, but he had the Uzumaki chakra and personality in spades.

The only glaring problem was that we lived in different Villages.

While the Leaf was well known for their prodigies and advancements in medical ninjutsu, the Village Hidden in the Grass in comparison was a country that specialized its shinobi in the art of espionage and information gathering. 

Everyone had a use. 

And if you didn’t, you were no use to them. 

The Village didn’t really like my mother and I because we were survivors of a feared Clan. It was only because we were useful that we were allowed to settle there (allowed to live). 

When I was forced to join the Academy they despised that I wasn’t the straight combat type, but fortunately for me I showed promise as a sensor. 

My mother helped me learn our Clan’s hiden sensory jutsu, the Mind’s Eye of Kagura. The technique took advantage of our Clan’s larger than normal chakra reserves to extend our sensory range farther than most were capable. They still didn’t like me, but I had a use. 

I knew I wouldn’t be able to earn my stay as a fighter, so I decided to make myself the best support-type possible, so that even though I couldn’t fight, I would still useful in some way. 

By the time I became a genin I learned how to detect and release genjutsu, I learned more first aid then what is usually taught to non-medics, all my endless studying made me a capable strategist, and I started learning more about fuinjutsu. Nobody could say that I didn’t have a use.

Even so, I wasn’t close with my teammates, and they weren’t overly fond of me either. Even with all my skills they had deemed me a liability and left me by myself to guard our scroll while they searched for the other teams in the Forest. 

Living in the Grass Village I never thought I’d meet my Prince Charming, so I never deluded myself to hope for that, or waste my time on a crush. 

But it was just like all the kunoichi in my class whispered about at the Academy. Being rescued by the shinobi who would one day become their husband.

Sasuke Uchiha.

He was so cool and strong! His chakra felt like the cool touch of the full moon in the chilly air of the night sky. He could have ignored my screams for help, but he didn’t! 

I sighed dreamily. 

I really wanted to see that smile again. It was calm, nonchalant, and confident with a hint of hidden kindness to it. No one in the Grass Village had ever smiled at me like that! 

I wanted to be as cool, confident, and self-assured as he was! 

I smiled happily. The Leaf Village truly was a paradise compared to the Hidden Grass Village. 

The people here were kind (despite their stupid, ignorant hatred of Naruto), and the overall energy of the Village was peaceful, happy and relaxed. The people here were loyal to their Village because they choose to be. Because it was their home. I didn’t feel the constant need to be on edge here like I do back in the Grass Village. Plus I had family and a potential future married life here! 

I don’t think I’d ever been so relieved to find out that my emigration had been approved (The Grass were probably happy to be rid of me. Especially because my Team didn’t pass the Second Exam and my teammates blamed _me_ for our failure). Now I didn’t have to leave!

“Hey look! I think I see it up ahead!” Naruto shouted excitedly, near bouncing in place.

Sure enough, up ahead was a large temple containing the Uzumaki symbol on the front.

The only problem? 

The building itself looked as if it hadn’t been visited in over ten years.

**(Third POV)**

Tobirama gave Tsunade a subtle nod. The Council Room had been warded. No one outside this Room would know of what was being discussed here today.

“I thank you all for gathering on such short notice. However, I must be frank in that the topic of today’s discussion is not the state of affairs. The matter up for discussion is decidedly far more important” Tsunade began, her tone serious and grave.

The rest of the Clan Heads waited in silence for her to continue, curious as to why the new Hokage had called a Council of the Clans meeting so soon after her inauguration when one was already scheduled for a month from now.

“Some recent evidence has come forward denoting Danzo Shimura as a liability to the Village as well as possibly being a traitor” Tsunade bluntly declared, sitting back and taking in everyone’s reactions.

A controlled chaos erupted throughout the room as people sounded their reactions to the news. 

“Danzo!?” shouted Katashi Shimura, confused at the accusation. 

“Humph. That man’s loyalty was always questionable” Tsume Inuzuka commented with a sneer. 

“As I thought” Shibi Aburame stated unsurprised. 

“Wish I could say that I’m more surprised than I am” Inoichi said calmly. Choza grunted in agreement next to him. 

“And yet another traitor within the Leaf” Ryou Akado scoffed mockingly. 

“What proof is there?” Shun Izumo stated in concern. 

“If that is the case then the Village needs to be protected!” Pac Lee declared resolutely. 

“What does this _mean_ for the Village?” Kokoro Nohara asked, sounding a tad frightened. 

“What is the evidence?” Kokage Yanagikage demanded sternly. 

“How is this possible!?” Jun Umino demanded, eyes narrowed. 

“But he is an Elder!” Kenji Gekko stated aghast.

Only Kakashi, Shisui, Hiashi, Kizashi, Shikaku, Tobirama, and Hiruzen’s facial expressions remained unchanged at the revelation. 

“Lady Hokage if I may, while I admit that my cousin and I do not get along, and I agree that his methods are questionable beyond doubt, I know for a fact he does it all under the belief that it is all ultimately for the best of the Village. I cannot see him as a traitor” Katashi Shimura defended. 

“You are mostly correct on that assumption. Danzo without a doubt believes that his methods are for the best. However –” Hiruzen stated, pausing to determine the best way to explain the situation. 

“However, the end does not always justify the means. Evidence has recently come to light that proves just how unjustifiable his methods are” Tobirama continued where Hiruzen left off. 

“And this evidence would be?” Katashi Shimura inquired, narrowing his eyes skeptically. 

“The specific evidence is why all of you are here today. It has come to our attention that Danzo is illegally taking children from the Orphanage and forcing them to join Root. Making him directly responsible for the traitor Kabuto Yakushi, and very possibly the death of Nono Yakushi” Tsunade firmly revealed.

“How dare he do such a thing against defenseless children!?” Tsume raged, slamming her fist on the table. 

“How could the system allow for such a thing?”Jun Umino demanded accusingly. 

“More importantly, how hasn’t anyone noticed until now?” Choza stated disappointingly. 

“There _should_ be records to document such a thing” Kokage Yanagikage stated harshly. 

“Only the lowest of the low could do something so unspirited!” Pac Lee shouted, standing up from his chair. 

Katashi Shimura just sat in stunned silence. Many others followed suit, while the eyes of the same group who didn’t react previously, darkened. 

“Silence!” Tsunade demanded, “You are all here because it is no secret that Danzo keeps an eye on promising children in Clans in order to recruit them. We are asking all of you if Danzo ever _pressured_ you into giving him any of your children”

The dead silence after Tsunade’s question was deafening. But Tsunade held firm. If she had to, she would keep them all here until someone admitted _something_.

After about a minute of contemplation a calm but firm voice spoke up. 

“My adoptive son Torune was taken by Danzo. He wanted my biological son Shino, but I didn’t want to hand him over. Torune volunteered to go with Danzo in Shino’s stead. If possible I’d like my adoptive son back” Shibi pleaded, sounding almost hopeful.

Following Shibi’s omission it was almost as if the dam had broken. 

“A young boy of my Clan agreed to go with Danzo despite my disapproval when he _requested_ one of our children” Inoichi stated with a small edge of urgency. 

“A member of our Branch Family is within his organization as well” Hiashi stated calmly, though his eyes were sharp.

“Danzo came to us asking for a child showing promise. He claimed that it would help elevate our family’s status since we were a newly established Clan” Kenji Gekko admitted regretfully, hands clenched against the table. 

“He said much of them same to us. Took a child that was one of the few in our Clan to actually inherit our kekkei genkai” Kokoro Nohara stated with a bitter tone. 

“Took a kekkei genkai user from our Clan as well” Ryou huffed out, cursing his own stupidity. 

After listening to all of Danzo’s victims Kizashi decided it was finally time for him to speak out. 

“As everyone has been recently made aware, our Clan actually possesses a kekkei genkai” Kizashi said hesitantly, cutting into the chaos. 

The room simmered down to silence, everyone looking over to Kizashi curiously at such an abrupt topic change.

“My Father first discovered this bloodline during his tenure in Root. Neither myself, nor my brothers inherited this trait, so we kept it a secret from the masses. Truth be told, all of us were afraid to have children in case the trait wasn’t solely unique to him. Danzo was already watching us far too closely as it was” Kizashi grimly revealed. 

Aside from a few pitying glances the room waited in silence for him to continue.

“As we feared, my elder brother’s son and the former heir of the Clan, Moe Haruno, did in fact inherit the bloodline. He was immediately inducted into Root where he died two years later at the age of sixteen. Since then Danzo has been hawking my Father’s remaining grandchildren. For a number of years he was convinced that my daughter had the trait. However, my wife and I managed to keep him at bay. I have no doubt that he will be confronting us sooner rather than later about her taking up _her place_ in Root. I _beg_ you to not let that happen” Kizashi pleaded in uncharacteristic seriousness. 

“I promised you when Sakura officially became a part of my squad that I would protect her with my life, and I stand by that now” Kakashi assured him resolutely. 

Kizashi gave Kakashi a grateful nod. 

“Actually, there’s something I’d like to say” Shisui cut in. 

All eyes turned expectantly to him. 

“Danzo killed Moe Haruno” Shisui declared unwaveringly. 

A chaos of words circled around the room once more. Only this time the comments were nearly indecipherable at the speed everyone was talking over each other. 

“SILENCE!” Tsunade shouted, stamping her foot against the ground, making the room itself tremble against her strength.

Once everyone had quieted down Tsunade switched her gaze to Shisui, giving him permission to continue. 

“As you all know my Mangekyo Sharingan has the special ability of Kotoamatsukami, where I can use genjutsu to manipulate the minds of others without them knowing” Shisui began. 

Everyone in the room nodded, aware of said technique already. 

Excluding Tobirama. 

To him, someone possessing a technique as powerful as that was beyond a terrifying thought.

But the fact that Shisui had made the mechanizations behind his technique public knowledge spoke volumes of his character. As such Tobirama kept his comments to himself as he listened to the young Uchiha. 

“I was going to use the technique on Fugaku Uchiha in order to buy us some more time to stop the Coup. But Danzo disagreed with my plan and confronted me. I was poisoned by Sugaru Aburame, and Danzo attempted to steal my eyes for himself” Shisui explained gravely, his expression carefully neutral, though his eyes held a burning hatred. 

Gasps sounded throughout the room. Kakashi eyes darkened, while Hiruzen took an angry puff of his pipe. Tsunade clenched her teeth and folded hands, while her Great-Uncle similarly increased his grip on his folded arms. 

“Moe intervened and saved my life. He gave me the antidote and told me to run. I didn’t want to leave without him, but in my state I was only a liability. I managed to find Itachi, but by the time he got there it was too late...I’m sorry” Shisui said remorsefully, directing the last bit to Kizashi.

Tobirama looked at the young Uchiha in pity. He had been trying to protect the Village and Danzo had attempted to kill him in order to steal his Mangekyo for his own purposes. And sadly the young Uchiha didn’t have any physical proof to back up his encounter. Just his word. 

Just his word against Danzo’s, and Tobirama had the feeling Danzo would’ve had a plan ready to make Shisui look like the traitor instead of himself if he had said anything. 

At this point he wasn’t sure his former subordinate could fall any lower. 

“I had already suspected as much. Moe had created a technique that transfers all his memories to a scroll. It only activates if he’s caught in enemy hands and dies. Only someone with our kekkei genkai can open the scroll, but we still suspected foul play” Kizashi calmly revealed. 

Shisui nodded back robotically. 

“And Shisui” Kizashi continued. 

Shisui brought his gaze back to Kizashi. 

“Moe was your teammate and one of your best friends. I know he had no regrets” Kizashi consoled. 

For a few seconds Shisui’s control fractured, and his immense guilt and pain was seen to all. 

Hiruzen had always felt guilty for burdening Shisui and Itachi with the Massacre at such a young age, and discovering that Danzo made Shisui suffer even further made his guilt intensify even more.

“Alright then. I’m assuming there must be some plan of action in the works because if there isn’t I think I should be the one to remind everybody that Danzo basically has his own personal army, and this whole thing could blow up in our faces and end up turning into a civil war” Shun Izumo pointedly reminded. 

“Not to mention we don’t know any of the cards he's holding. He could have a number of contingencies or plants in case something like this were to happen” Kokage Yanagikage piggybacked. 

“I’m sure that Shikaku is already formulating a strategy to deal with all of this” Choza remarked, confident in his old friend. 

“You’re right about that, but there are still a lot of variables I need to take into account outside the military and political consequences” Shikaku stated, sounding exhausted. 

“Like the civilians and other rival nations” Shibi remarked. 

“Exactly” Shikaku confirmed. 

“And the fact that the traitor is not only a member of an esteemed Clan, but he holds a significant position of power on the Elder Council. Which can breed mistrust amongst the civilians as to whether or not the remaining Council members can truly be trusted” Katashi Shimura pointed out. 

“Not to mention other nations may take advantage of our civil unrest to try and invade us” Hiashi hypothesized. 

“I think we’re all forgetting about the children that were taken. We have no idea what physical or mental state they are in, or if Danzo is caring for their welfare in any way at all” Jun Umino proclaimed.

“From what I understand of Danzo’s methods, the children will most likely need to be psychologically evaluated by both myself and Ibiki” Inoichi admitted grimly. 

“An overall health evaluation would be good to do as well” Kokoro Nohara added in. 

“As wonderful as it is that you all want to help these kids, there’s something you all have to understand first and foremost” Kakashi cut in. 

“Really now? And what would that be?” Kokoro Nohara inquired, narrowing her eyes at him. 

“You keep speaking of these shinobi as if they are children. And while that is true of their age, that is the only thing about them that is young” Kakashi firmly declared. 

“How so?” Jun Umino inquired confused. 

“Once you graduate from the Academy you are considered an ‘adult’. Even so, we still protect our genin from the darker, gorier aspects of shinobi life for a time until we start taking them out on C-rank missions in order to slowly expose them to killing and death. In contrast the ANBU undertake some of the darkest dealings we have in the Village. It leaves a corrupted mark on you no matter what personality, or past experiences you may have” Kakashi detailed seriously. 

Many in the room immediately determined for themselves just where Kakashi was taking this discussion. 

“Now imagine a young shinobi or an orphaned child being thrust right into an organization infamous for its ruthlessness and barbaric methods of eliminating a person’s emotions. I can guarantee you from my own experience joining the _regular_ ANBU core at fourteen that they are no longer children with the missions they will have been forced to complete. At the same time you cannot treat them solely as victims, because even though they are, they are dangerous as hell and mentally scarred to the heavens above. Frankly, we’re probably going to have to reteach them how to use their emotions, and how to appropriately function socially in normal society” Kakashi grimly speculated.

Nobody wanted to comment on his blunt assessment. 

Some of them (Jun and Kokoro) looked as if they were fighting back vomit. Sickened by the level of immorality of it all. 

“Kakashi’s right. Just being in the regular ANBU core can corrupt any goodness a person has. It was the reason I left the core in the first place” Shisui backed up. 

“Indeed. Kakashi was removed from the ANBU at the request of his friends as they feared him being in the ANBU was only making his past trauma worse” Hiruzen revealed, debunking one of the many rumors that had gone around years ago that Kakashi had been removed from ANBU due to a dishonorable discharge. 

Not that the man cared enough what others thought of him to actually correct the rumors in the first place. 

“Then the real question is if the children can be trusted or not” Ryou Akado declared, folding his hands atop the table in front of his face. 

“We are still their family!” Tsume argued with a growl, angered by the man’s casual dismissal of loyalty. 

“Yoroi was supposedly our family, and yet that didn’t stop him from betraying the Village. We don’t have a clue as to what Danzo did to any of them” Ryou Akado countered right back. 

“He has a point. Even unwilling, the children can be used as plants” Kokage Yanagikage reluctantly admitted. 

“Even so, we cannot just abandon them” Pac Lee firmly proclaimed. 

“Unfortunately we cannot assume that Danzo did not do something to them either” Kenji Gekko commented unhappily.

“We have absolutely no intention of abandoning the children, but precautionary measures will be taken” Tsunade firmly declared. 

“Which is also why it is important that Danzo is not tipped off to our plans” Tobirama reminds them. 

“It is important that you all go about as you would normally. If you do not it could place everyone within the Village in perilous danger” Hiruzen informed them. 

Everyone gave a firm, understanding nod.

“As far as all of you are concerned, this meeting never happened” Tsunade ordered.

**(Karin’s POV)**

“There! Now all the vines are cleared away” Naruto declared, wiping the sweat off of his brow as his Shadow Clones dispersed. 

“It still needs a lot of work though” I said, looking around at the faded paint and cracked infrastructure. 

“I’m sure we’ll be able to fix it up!” Naruto said optimistically. 

“In time I suppose” I muttered, directing my attention to the eerily untouched wall of masks. 

Naruto came up next to me silently. I could tell the masks were bothering him a bit too. 

“Creepy huh?” he said, “It feels almost like they’re purposefully exuding scary energy in order to keep us away. Kinda like a ghost”

I blinked in surprise. 

“That’s it!” I shouted, startling him. 

“What’s it? You think there’s a ghost in here?!” he shouted, suddenly looking around in terror. 

“No you numbskull! There’s probably a safeguard on the masks in order to keep people away” I said looking at the walls more closely. 

“There” I said, pointing to the four corners of the back wall. In each corner was a small intricate seal interlaid in the design of the molding. 

“What is that?” Naruto asked, squinting a bit. 

“A seal that induces a subtle genjutsu that subconsciously makes any intruder feel the sensation of fear” I explained in awe.

“Seals can do that?!” Naruto shouted in surprised admiration. 

“Yup. It’s why our Clan was so feared. Our fuinjutsu was the best in the world” I declared with pride. 

“Wow” he mumbled, gazing up at the wall in amazement. 

The Uzumaki seals truly were a work of art.

I was happy we came.

This will definitely help Naruto and I learn more about our Clan.

**(Tsunade’s POV)**

I sighed heavily as I slumped back into my Office chair. 

Stress like this makes me almost wish that I hadn’t agreed to be the Leaf Village’s newest fool-in-charge. 

_Almost._

The Wars cost me my grandparents, my great-uncle, my parents, my younger brother, and my fiancé. 

Returning home after a diplomatic mission only to find that the Village had been destroyed by the Nine-tails, that both my cousins had died, and that my Sensei was now back as Hokage had been the final straw. 

After that I just couldn’t handle the stress of watching my remaining loved ones die.

I just didn’t care about the Village anymore. 

How could I when it cost me everyone I loved?

After spending over a decade away from the Village my faith had been restored by Naruto’s unwavering determination. No matter how stressful things get I vowed to place my life on the line to protect everyone in this Village. 

And there is no way I’m just going to let Danzo prance over me like some doormat and continue doing as he pleases. 

“Fixing this Village’s issues might place me into an early grave, but even if that is the case I’m going to bring Danzo down with me if it’s the last thing I do” I resolved.

Suddenly a knock sounded on my door. 

“Come in” I stated. 

To my surprise Sakura Haruno stepped into the room. 

Although it wasn’t her presence itself that was surprising. It was her expression. 

Fierce, unwavering determination. 

“I have a request of you Milady” she firmly proclaimed. 

I placed down my brush, waiting for her to continue. 

“Please, make me your apprentice” Sakura exclaimed, her eyes unwavering. 

After a moment of shock I folded my hands together as I read more into her expression. 

It takes particular attributes for someone to be a medical ninja. 

And looking at her face I could see that she had that resolve…and the troubles too. 

The pain of seeing injured comrades and not having the power to save them. 

“Sakura Haruno. I’ve heard from Kakashi that you are intelligent, and have a strong will” I began, her determination remaining steady. 

“Very well then” I said, giving her a small smile.

Her serious expression turned to one of jubilance.

“But be warned. I’m not going to go easy on you” I stated with a slight cautionary teasing tone. 

“Yes Mam!” she replied, giving me a soldier’s stance, undaunted by my warning.

'The Will of Fire still burns Grandpa' I thought to myself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the world building I've been doing: Karin's backstory (and explanation on her crush on Sasuke), the Council of the Clans and some of the OC Clan members I created.
> 
> I hope you all liked how I had Shisui survive (Him and Moe's relationship will be gone into more detail later)!
> 
> And we finally learned why Sakura's parents didn't want her to become a ninja!
> 
> Danzo better watch out!
> 
> Next chapter will be more Clan building and Konoha 12 building plus Kakashi building.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> This chapter is very much about other characters.
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Shino’s POV)**

“Have you been able to go on any missions outside the Village at all?” Katsa asked, as she gazed down at me from her place on the tree branch. 

“No. That is because Hinata has only just recovered, and there is still rebuilding that needs to be done” I replied, letting one of my insects rest on my pointer finger.

“Though logically, based on your team’s skill level they should be sending you on an external missions soon” Hideki deduced, pushing up a bit on his tinted glasses. 

“Only if there is a shortage of higher ranked shinobi I’d imagine” I answered.

“But you want an outside mission” Katsa said in a matter-of-fact teasing tone. 

“I go where I am needed most” I told her simply. 

One of Katsa’s eyebrows raised above her sunglasses as if to say ‘oh really’. 

“But yes. I’d like a mission outside the village” I admitted, amused by her antics.

As a whole members of the Aburame clan were not very emotive, so Katsa's bubbly personality and teasing tendencies made her a standout amongst our Clan members.

It was also one of the reasons I was fond of her.

“While it is not logical, I hope that you receive your wish soon” Hideki declared.

I gave him a nod of thanks. 

It was nice to spend some time with my younger relatives in the woods behind our Compound. As the Clan heir I’ve always been busy, however I always managed to fit time into my schedule to spend with my cousins.

But ever since I graduated the Academy I've found myself with less free-time to do with as I pleased.

“Shino” my Father’s voice sounded, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I turned around to see him standing about ten feet away from us.

I walked over to him, curious what he could be calling me over for. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked him calmly, taking in the situation.

My Father was unsettlingly silent for a moment. 

“Has Danzo ever confronted you since Torune left?” he asked me, sounding as if he was dreading the answer. 

I hesitated momentarily out of surprise. 

“He has not” I replied, very curious why he was bringing up Danzo now when the man has essentially been a taboo subject up until now. 

“Just be careful. Be sure to inform me if you have such a meeting” he orders me firmly.

"Of course" I assured him.

“The same applies to the both of you. If you ever meet a man named Danzo, be sure to inform me” my Father proclaimed, eyeing Katsa and Hideki. 

“Yes sir” they mimed. 

My Father nodded, apparently satisfied with the conversation’s outcome. Then faster than my eyes could track he disappeared. 

“Who’s Danzo?” Katsa asked curiously, confused about what had unnerved their Clan Head so much. 

“Danzo Shimura. The Head of the ANBU Root” I recited plainly, keeping the suspicion out of my tone.

“Shibi-sama made it sound as if this Danzo could not be trusted” Hideki matter-of-factly pointed out. 

“From the little I have gathered regarding the man, my Father seems to regard him as shady, and appeared to be wary of him during the one interaction between them I have witnessed” I detailed, airing my concerns about that today for the first time aloud.

“Then we shall be cautious as well” Hideki stated, confident in my observations.

It has been years since my Father brought up Torune in front of me. And even longer since I’ve seen him. 

I’ve pondered the state of his welfare frequently ever since he left with Danzo and never came back. 

Torune left telling me that I still had the chance to make friends that didn’t think I was creepy for being an Aburame. He claimed that he didn’t have that chance because his rinkaichu made it exceptionally difficult to interact with others without poisoning them. 

I wonder if he’d approve of Kiba and Hinata. 

I didn’t really have friends in the Academy. The other children thought of me as weird and creepy. And I was fine with that. I had my family and my insects. 

But Torune claimed that I needed to interact with others. Back then I had thought that he had only said that because he was lonely himself (even people in our own Clan avoided him).

Naruto actually reminded me a lot of Torune with his burden.

Back in the Academy I had been slightly afraid of him because my insects sensed an incredibly evil chakra within him. 

Eventually I became used to his presence, but I was still wary of him and as such kept my distance. 

In a way he interested me because of how people were afraid of him like they had been of Torune. And yet neither of them let it show how much it hurt them in front of others. 

When my team and I had encountered Gaara’s Team during the Second Exam I sensed a similar presence in the Sand user. But unlike Naruto, Gaara actually _embraced_ the evil chakra. I've never been so been grateful for Naruto’s overcompensating hyperactive behavior and fake smiles. 

It wasn’t until his match with Neji that I put it together that Naruto actually had the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within him, and that Gaara must have a similar monster within him as well. 

Of course logically I deduced that it didn’t make Naruto a monster himself. 

The concept was similar to that of a kunai sealed within a scroll. From a logical standpoint it frustrated me that my fellow shinobi were so ignorant. 

Especially the members of my own Clan. 

We possessed insects inside us!

My clansmen should know better than anyone that Naruto wasn’t a monster. But I also understand that emotions such as fear can interfere with logic.

But that is why we are trained to control our emotions. 

People like Torune and Naruto don’t deserve the treatment they receive. 

But as Kiba and Hinata have showed me, sometimes actions are more necessary than words if you are to achieve something, or make a change.

Maybe it was time for me to act a little more.

**(Inoichi’s POV)**

The Clan meeting had been as enlightening as it was unsettling. 

I already knew that Danzo could be shady and underhanded, but to hear that we had been manipulated into putting our children into harm’s way was as disgracing as it was terrifying. 

I paused in my stride to look out into my Clan’s flower garden. 

The garden stretched out beyond the Compound, almost like a meadow, containing all the flora we sell in our Flower Shop. The only difference being that the flowers were arranged to form the image of our Clan’s symbol when looking at the field from a higher vantage point. 

In addition the garden was not only used to teach our younger Clan members about the meanings of the flowers, but it also served as a good meditation spot. 

Speaking of which, I spotted my daughter doing just that alongside her younger relatives Aito and Kaiya. Both of them were still in the Academy, though different years. 

“This is so boring! I thought you said you were going to give us training tips?” Aito whined. 

“Oh quit your whining you. Meditation is an important part of our Clan’s techniques. If you don’t have a calm and strong mind then your techniques can fail. Not to mention meditating can help you improve your sensing skills, so suck it up and pay attention” Ino lectured sharply. 

Kaiya snickered at Aito, obviously amused. Aito just stuck his tongue out at her.

It always warms my heart whenever I see Ino mentoring the little ones of the Clan. She always was one to take people under her wing, or take charge if the situation called for it. 

I sighed. 

Fu should be with them right now, not doing who the hell knows what under Danzo. 

'If he’s even alive' I thought despondently. 

I really hoped that he was okay, especially after learning the truth of what happened to Moe Haruno. 

I dreaded having to interrogate any child under Danzo. 

I would do my job no matter what, but it didn’t mean I had to like it. 

Members of our Clan have been integral members of the Barrier Team, and Intelligence Division since we settled in the Village. 

In fact, not only did our Clan typically Head the Barrier Team, but our Clan founded the Intelligence Division as it is today. 

Our reputation as florists is what keeps us in a less intimidating light to the civilians. But to the Shinobi Core we were known for our powerful Mind Affecting jutsu, and we prided ourselves on our espionage, interrogation, and sensory skills. 

Because of the dark potential of our hiden jutsu we used the symbolism of the bush clover to represent our Clan in order to remind us of our bonds so that we do not lose ourselves in the shadows of our profession and techniques. 

To remind us that other people’s minds are not just toys to play around with, and that we can even use our jutsu to help instead of hurt.

I just hope that is what I will be doing for these kids.

**(Ibiki’s POV)**

As the Head of the Intelligence Division and leader of the Torture and Interrogation Unit I was used to people steering clear of me. 

Though I was a highly respected member of the Shinobi Forces my job and reputation caused many to be wary of me the few times I find myself walking around the Village. 

My general intimidating demeanor and countless facial scars did nothing to help this fact either. 

However, I had long gotten used to the wary if not frightened stares. Those of my colleagues I had gotten closer to know that despite my appearance I was generally an easy-going person with an appreciation for humor (though no outside person would ever believe as such).

I have mentored many of the shinobi working below me in my Division. But never once had I ever taken on an actual student before. 

Unless there happened to be a group of three genin graduating the Academy who had the potential to join my Unit I wasn’t interested in wasting my time on a genin team. 

Admittedly many of the rookies this year had caught my interest, showing much potential in comparison to their older peers. So when Kakashi came to me with his request I found myself curious if I truly was well suited to the task being asked of me. 

I turned my attention back to the picture of the pinkette kunoichi before me. 

From what I’ve observed so far the girl has low self-esteem, and keeps her own genuine feelings to herself if she thinks that her seniors won’t approve. Traits that suggested a past history of being bullied and/or a lack of recognition. 

She has a temper, but only punches others if they’re being perverted, insulting, or have done something incredibly stupid. 

When angered a more confident side emerges in contrast to her typical follower personality. 

Typical of many girls her age she has a crush (who also happens to unfortunately be her teammate), but from what I can gather she’s gotten over her fangirl phase and has a genuine desire to focus on her training.

Ability-wise she had potential that much I was certain. 

Undoubtedly, the Haruno clan has produced some of the best support-shinobi in the Village. Their roots as Ninshu Monks giving them both high memory and analytical skills, and excellent chakra control. 

While they don’t have hiden techniques of their own like high prestige Clans they're still a versatile bunch. Their chakra control allowing for easier ninjutsu mastery, and a higher potential for both medical ninjutsu and genjutsu. 

Though taijutsu and straight combat were not their strong suit.

Most became Academy Instructors, medics, or joined the Cryptanalysis and Barrier Teams. And the Clan itself is in charge of both the Konoha Library, and the Archives. 

Though the number of Harunos is still fewer and far between, four _have_ advanced past chunin level since they settled here during the beginnings of the Village. 

Two became ANBU, and the father and second cousin of the pinkette in front of him were able to become a Special Jonin like himself.

Of course none of that was relevant as to why I was chosen to train her. 

Yes I was skilled in genjutsu. But if it were simply a matter of getting the girl a genjutsu teacher Kurenai would have been the more fitting choice. 

But no. 

I was chosen because of my skills in psychological manipulation and my incorporations of genjutsu with it. 

According to the Clan reports I was allowed access to, her grandfather discovered a bloodline that enabled his chakra to manifest and act as its own entity within his mind, taking on the emotions he couldn’t show, and essential becoming a second being within his own mind. 

His children did not inherit the unusual brain-chakra based kekkei genkai, but at least two of his four grandchildren did. 

Expanding on the technique this girl created a powerful genjutsu that brutally attacked her opponent’s psychi. 

I smirked. 

“Now _that’s_ my kind of jutsu” I thought to myself, a sadistic smirk adorning my lips.

Besides her newly discovered kekkei genkai, Chakra Transfer, and Chakra Saber technique she didn’t know any other ninjutsu outside the basics taught at the Academy. 

Her physical abilities and stamina were average at best, though she enhances them with her advanced skills in chakra control. 

Her shurikenjutsu skills were above average, and she possessed advanced skills in both genjutsu, and analysis.

My final deduction: I had a lot of work ahead of me.

**(Anko’s POV)**

I knew the Scarecrow was a cocky bastard, but to have the gall to ‘request’ that I help train his Uchiha brat set me off in a way I couldn’t even begin to describe. 

To be painfully honest I wasn’t sure if I was mad at the Cyclops or who I was supposed to help train. 

The brat Orochimaru had marked…Just as I had been. 

I knew that was the real reason Kakashi wanted me to train the brat. 

It always boiled back down to Orochimaru somehow.

Even almost eight years after his defection from the Village he was still interfering in my life.

When I had first been assigned to Orochimaru's genin team alongside Santa Yamanka and Hyousuke I had been thrilled that we had gotten one of the famous Sannin as our sensei. 

From that moment on I made it my goal to be just like my teacher. 

Many people expected great things from me and my squadmates due to who our sensei was. 

Back during the War the fact our squad had excelled as a Reconnaissance Unit had only solidified that notion. 

With Orochimaru-sensei’s help Santa created new Yamanaka clan techniques where he could astrally project his soul into another’s conscious awareness, and helped Hyousuke create his own medical ninjutsu style that allowed him to affect his opponent’s neurocognitive functions. 

When Orochimaru had taken a particular interest in me and taught me many of his own snake-based jutsu I had felt special. 

When he had told me of his goal to achieve immortality I prided myself on being the only one he trusted with his secret aspirations. 

Yes, _proud_. 

Right up until he betrayed me and used me as one of his test subjects. 

The only survivor out of ten children.

Now another bore the same Cursed Seal of Heaven as me. 

I had been seventeen when I had been marked. 

This…child was even younger than I had been. 

And unlike me, he had the ambition (read: stupidity) to use it. 

Was I concerned? Yes. 

Did I see it as my responsibility to keep the brat from having his mind degraded by the mark? No. 

That was Kakashi’s job. 

Apparently he didn’t share the same sentiment. 

Why he thought that I would make a good mentor was beyond me. 

Even before Orochimaru’s defection people thought I was an odd one. After? I had borne the brunt of the Village’s hatred towards him. The entirety of my being reminded them of the disgusting traitor. My skills. My personality. Mannerisms. Everything. 

It took a few years for my teammates and I to prove that they weren’t actually spies that Orochimaru had left behind. 

'Unfortunately for Hyousuke his entire genin team actually were spies for Orochimaru. My Division may have cleared him as a suspect, but he’s stuck under a microscope once again' I thought bitterly.

Ironically enough, back when Orochimaru had first left the only person who didn’t seem to give two-shits about the rumors was Ibiki. 

He saw my potential for torture and reconnaissance and inducted me into the Intelligence Division. 

It was thanks to him that I learned that I shouldn’t give a damn about what others thought of me, and to just be my fabulous eccentric self.

Even so, I wasn’t the mentoring type. 

Sure I enjoyed messing with the little genin during the Chunin Exams, but I don’t see myself as patient enough to be the teaching-type. 

Not to mention I didn’t want to deal with the arrogant brat. 

I could tell that he had both a superiority and inferiority complex along with a butt-ton of psychological issues from not only seeing all of his Clan members murdered, but learning afterward that his Clan were in fact traitors, and were executed by the decision of his beloved Village’s leaders. 

I swore Ibiki was going to bitch slap the dumb-ass chunin that recommended Sasuke be evaluated in order to see if he was okay. 

Of course the freaking child wasn’t okay! 

Sure the brat has been loyal to the Village thus far, but with Orochimaru’s unholy intervention he might not be for much longer.

If Kakashi thinks that a student of one of the Sannin is a suitable substitute for the real deal he’s deluding himself. 

Even if we somehow removed the Curse Mark, unless the kid’s psychological issues are dealt with I’d only delay his departure at best. 

To be frank, I never planned on passing on _that_ man’s teachings ever. 

And I certainly didn’t have Kakashi’s hope that the Uchiha brat would be satisfied with me (though I would take great pleasure in training him into the ground if he ever said so to my face). 

But maybe I could try.

Maybe it was my turn to help someone harmed by the Poisonous Snake.

**(Kakashi’s POV)**

I stood next to the Memorial Stone reading my beloved Icha Icha novel, for once showing up before the chosen meeting time (though it helped that this was the meeting place). 

It has been a while since I was last here with my squad. 

Even though my novel was out I hadn’t read a single page. I was too busy contemplating all my decisions in the past near thirteen years. 

I’d been doing a lot of that lately. 

After my Father had committed suicide I vowed to always follow the Shinobi Rules of Conduct down to the last letter.

Eat, sleep, train, and repeat.

Following this I graduated the Academy by the time I was five. 

Due to my young age I had to be placed on a team with those much older than me. 

One of their teammates had made chunin and their squad needed a temporary fill-in. Even though I was their junior, to me they were the immature brats who didn’t take their shinobi status seriously. Therefore my routine remained the same.

Eat, sleep, train, and repeat.

With that I managed to achieve the rank of chunin within a year. I was happy that I no longer had to deal with my team. I could associate with proper shinobi. 

But even though I was now a chunin my elders still treated me like a kid. So I continued on as usual.

Eat, sleep, train, and repeat.

As the years went on my more experienced peers started taking me more seriously as I went out on more and more missions with various impromptu teams. 

It was during this time my title as a prodigy was taken seriously. 

But even still, the only time I associated with others was on missions, and I refused to engage in any smalltalk when working.

Eat, sleep, train, and repeat.

This routine continued unbroken until I was eleven.

When I was placed on Team Minato.

Both Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha had recently achieved the rank of chunin and needed a new squad reassignment. 

Since I possessed no set squad I had been placed on their team under the famed jonin Minato Namikaze. 

While I wasn’t happy to be on the same team as a flake like Obito, I was pleased with our new Sensei. 

Since I had graduated early it left my graduating class one person short for a squad. Essentially Rin and Obito would have been my squadmates anyway had I graduated at the more normalish age of nine. 

Since I hadn’t Rin decided to go into the Medic Corps and Obito joined the genin reserves (with the War they couldn’t afford to send anyone back to the Academy). 

Once they both managed to pass as chunin the Hokage decided to place us together as a team. 

Rin was too kind, but she did her job as our team’s field medic well. 

Obito on the other hand was a complete fool. He was the complete antithesis of an Uchiha. He was loud, obnoxious, and wasn’t any more skilled than the average shinobi, inheriting none of the Uchiha’s famed prodigious talents. 

So I went about my life as I normally would.

Eat, sleep, train, and repeat…except that I didn’t.

Somehow when I was supposed to have dinners alone I found myself sitting at a restaurant listening to their incessant chatter. 

And when I was finally able to turn in for the night I found myself camping outside in a sleeping bag with the four of us surrounding a fire. 

And when I was supposed to train by myself I found that more often than not I had a sparring partner. 

They disrupted the routine I had used for the past six years. 

And it unnerved me. 

No other team had affected me like that. 

I tried to continue acting aloof and uncaring, but Obito got under my skin with everything he did. 

No matter how collected I was he would find a way to force me to talk. 

It wasn’t until Obito died that I realized that _they_ had become my new life routine.

And it had once again been broken…forever.

Obito had been the Sun of our squad. 

Rin had been the Heart. 

And it was my fault that they were both gone. 

After Obito died for my worthless ass I tried to devote everything I had to protecting Rin like he asked me to. 

When she had gotten kidnapped by Mist ninja on one of our missions I plowed through them in order to rescue her. 

I knew that it was risky to take her back to the Village, but I had sent Pakkun ahead of me in the hopes that Minato-sensei (now the hokage) could meet us at the outskirts of the Village and somehow help her. 

Of course Rin disagreed with my plan. 

Being the strong willed shinobi she was she had already chosen to die rather than endanger her home. 

As a medical ninja her timing and precision was perfect. She couldn’t kill herself with the Seal that was placed on her, so instead she timed the intervention between herself and my attack on the Mist ninja perfectly.

I created my Lightning cutter to be the ultimate assassination technique.

And it is.

Frying a person’s insides and disabling their organs even after the sharp blade runs through them like butter.

I don’t know what her last words to me were supposed to be.

She never got to finish her sentence before she died.

After her death by my hand people started calling me the “Friend Killer” behind my back. 

Though people are not as quiet as they think they are. 

Rumors went around that if you were on the same squad as me, to watch your back or else I would kill you for the slightest infraction. 

I never once bothered to correct any of their fears. 

I was a friend killer after all. 

Truth be told Guy was more than enough upset for the both of us. I heard enough of his rants at our fellow accusing shinobi to know his stance on my innocence.

I joined the ANBU not long after. 

Then my world spun on a tailspin once again. 

On the day that was supposed to be their happiest, Minato-sensei and Kushina died. 

As I started basking in the darkness of my profession to escape the pain the Third Hokage came to me with the mission to protect Minato and Kushina’s son.

So I did.

I guarded their last legacy.

But that was all I did. 

Naruto was a painful reminder of everything I had lost in my life. 

He looked exactly like Minato-sensei, and acted like Kushina and Obito. 

Being an ANBU involves a degree of detachment so I was able to do my job, but I couldn’t stand to be in his presence outside the uniform. 

It only got worse when Naruto started wearing goggles like Obito used to (curse you Shisui). 

After the Uchiha Massacre the Third Hokage relieved me of my ANBU duties and assigned me the new task of being a jonin leader.

Personally I didn’t think that I was suited to be a jonin leader with my past history, but with nothing else to bury myself in I kept an open mind. 

For five years I failed squad after squad. My merciless reputation merely carried over from my ANBU career to my jonin one. 

While all genin are tested for teamwork, my teaching ‘line’ was the only one that used the Bell Test. A tradition of sorts. 

Frankly I was beginning to wonder if anyone had what it took to pass it anymore. 

That is, until I was assigned Team 7.

And boy what a team I got.

An abused, lonely, attention-seeking, hyperactive knucklehead who didn’t know what it was like to be a part of a group; an insecure, formerly bullied fangirl who couldn’t truly relate to her teammates’ issues; and a traumatized, arrogant loner with a superiority and inferiority complex. 

If anything we definitely took the award for the most psychologically damaged team. 

In fact, they were one of the worst teams I had ever tested. 

While other jonin leaders openly disapproved of my methods, the three of them needed a harsh reality check. 

Sasuke’s ego needed to be cut down several hundred notches, Naruto was far too reckless and had significant gaps in his education, and Sakura (unlike her teammates) had yet to experience the realities of our profession. 

But what they lacked in the first round of the Test they showed during my second chance. 

They had the potential to be a team whereas the others I had tested did not. 

I just had to make sure that they didn’t kill each other first.

To my great relief, after the first few weeks the number of insults directed each other lessened. 

Of course it took an intervention on my part (with a slight fear tactic added in), but a win is a win. 

That being said, my three little genin weren’t the only ones who needed a reality check.

When I fought Zabuza I had been cocky and arrogant. 

While Zabuza was listed in the Bingo book as an A-ranked threat, I was labeled an S-rank one. 

Zabuza should have been a breeze to defeat. 

But I got careless, and it could have cost my squad their lives (again). 

After my squad managed to free me I finished off Zabuza as quickly as I should have from the start. 

Unfortunately, Haku’s intervention saved Zabuza’s life. 

During our rematch I found that he was still able to give me trouble due to my overreliance on my Sharingan. Though after a slow start I defeated him with my own techniques.

That encounter showed me that in the five years I had left the ANBU I had gotten complacent, and slacked off in my training. 

It was completely unacceptable! 

My carelessness could have gotten us all killed!

Once we got back to the Village I started my intensive training regime once more and I found that it was actually hard for me to complete it. 

Disgraceful. 

It wasn’t long after that I realized that if I hadn’t been properly training myself, then my squad wasn’t either. 

From that point forward I implemented a variation of the Bell Test as a training regime. Once a week they were to come at me and try to take the bells.

I realize now that just as I had feared, I was a failure as a teacher. 

While I had lectured them on their shortcomings, and taught them chakra control I didn’t really do too much else. 

Sure during the ‘Bell Tests’ I gave them experience through fighting, but I didn’t actually _teach_ them anything. 

As a kid I taught myself jutsu, and I had unconsciously projected my own experiences onto them. I fully expected them to have a similar motivation and teach themselves techniques.

And they did to a certain extent (sort of).

Sakura taught herself some genjutsu in order to get back at me for using the Hell Viewing technique on her, started combining her intelligence with her weapons skills more, and the spars forcibly improved her subpar physical skills to about average. 

Naruto and I figured out his own taijutsu style from our spars, but he was the one to pick up on a few of the techniques he saw Sasuke and I use (he was already pretty innovative on his own), and Sasuke was already used to teaching himself jutsu. 

And while they did improve, they could have improved so much more had I focused on training their deficits more.

To make matters worse, the only time I ever trained with one of them individually for an extended period of time was when I tried to prepare Sasuke to fight Gaara during the Final Exams. 

I knew that for all of Sasuke’s talent and skills Gaara would leave him little more than a splatter of blood on the ground unless I could come up with something to make the fight slightly more even. 

Gaara was definitely the stronger of the two that was without question, but I wanted to at least give Sasuke a fighting chance since I knew he would never forfeit the match. 

Of course that meant neglecting Naruto and Sakura who both needed serious help as well. 

Naruto was pitted against the Hyuga prodigy Neji, and Sakura was paired against one of Orochimaru’s minions. 

While I may not have outwardly reacted to rejecting their requests for me to train them, internally I felt like an ass. 

All three of my students were in danger of being murdered during their first match of the Final Rounds and I looked like that asshole teacher playing favorites. 

Getting Shisui and Hanabira to train them in my stead didn’t make me feel any better.

Now I wouldn’t have the chance to correct my own mistakes. 

Naruto was going to start training under Master Jiraiya and Lord Tobirama, and Sakura was to start training under Ibiki (I had yet to think of another tutor for her). 

'Perhaps I could train both her and Sasuke' I pondered.

The direction of the wind was changing. 

I could feel it. And there was a storm coming. 

With the revelation of Naruto’s heritage, and the impending Civil War with Danzo I wasn’t sure the Leaf Village would be able to handle what was coming. 

But that is why we needed to train. So we could all be ready in case the worst is to come raining down upon us. 

“Heyyy! Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto shouted from across the training field. 

I turned to look at my Sensei’s son.

Hopefully I wouldn’t lose anyone else when the storm finally makes its touchdown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all didn't mind learning about the other characters! I want to give other characters their time to shine!
> 
> Naruto and Kakashi spar next chapter though!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> The spar between Naruto and Kakashi has come!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Hiruzen’s POV)**

“I still don’t see why we have to go to the Training Grounds now! Kakashi-sensei isn’t going to show up for at least another hour or two” Naruto complained. 

“The spar was scheduled for two o’clock. It’s always best to arrive at a destination a few minutes prior to the given time” Tobirama lectured. 

“Humph. Tell that to Kakashi-sensei. He's always late for _everything_!” Naruto shouted, annoyance laced viciously through his words. 

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. 

“Indeed. Kakashi is infamous for his tardiness. Though I’m sure he knows better than to try Tobirama-sensei’s patience with his usual antics” I stated with a hint of wry humor. 

“Speaking of patience, I was counting on Naruto having already drove your reanimated mind nuts by now Lord Second” Jiraiya said teasingly. 

“Hey! What's that supposed to mean Pervy Sage?!” Naruto shouted angrily at him. 

“It means taking care of you is like taking care of ten kids” Jiraiya jokingly replied.

“Oh yeah?! Well at least I don’t get chased out of every town I go to for spying on the women’s bathhouse!” Naruto countered vindictively. 

“What did you say you little pint-size brat?!” Jiraiya shouted angrily. 

The two of them were now glaring at each other in an almost comical silent standoff.

“If the two of you are done, we’ve arrived at our destination” Tobirama-sensei cut in blandly. 

Jiraiya and Naruto just childishly turned away from each other and continued forward. 

“And to answer your question: No. Naruto is neither a chore nor annoyance” Tobirama said firmly. 

I had no doubt that he was being truthful. Naruto was no more challenging than Lord Hashirama. And Tobirama-sensei had more than enough experience in handling his brother to know how to deal with Naruto’s antics. 

Though I did feel for my former Sensei. 

Even though it’s been two days since Naruto was secretly slated as the Senju clan heir, Naruto still refers to the Senju clan as separate from himself when speaking. 

From what I’ve noticed Naruto is all but refusing to acknowledge his Senju ancestry, while at the same time focusing on learning more about his Uzumaki genes alongside his newly discovered cousin. 

Though Sensei is good about keeping his emotions to himself I can tell that it was hurting him to have his own blood (who was on paper a Senju) essentially deny their relations.

Logically I knew Naruto wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt his great-grandfather. A fact I’ve made sure to reassure my Sensei of many times. Naruto just needed time to come to terms with everything he’s learned. 

The heart of the matter was that Tobirama-sensei was used to having a large Clan and close family surrounding him. Now that his Clan has dwindled down to a scarce few he’s subconsciously reaching to Naruto for that familial feeling (though he would never admit to it). 

Conversely, Naruto has never had a family to surround him and he is still adjusting to suddenly being an esteemed heir. 

'Hopefully Naruto will come to terms with everything soon' I thought. 

“Heyyy! Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto shouted across the training field, breaking me out of my own thoughts. 

I watched as Naruto quickly made his way over to his Sensei, who for once had actually arrived early. 

Tobirama-sensei was to start training with Naruto after observing his spar with Kakashi today. 

'Perhaps once Naruto starts to get closer to the remaining Senju clan members he’ll find a sense of belonging he’s never had' I thought optimistically.

Whether Naruto realizes it or not, as the heir to the Senju clan he will be the guiding light that this Village needs to move forward to a greater tomorrow.

**(Third POV)**

“I can’t believe you actually beat us here! The world has got to be ending or something for you to actually arrive before us” Naruto said teasingly. 

“Expect the unexpected. I can’t have myself becoming too predictable now can I?” Kakashi replied back. 

“If you really want to do something unexpected you could take off your mask?” Naruto said wryly. 

“And catch a cold? Heaven forbid” Kakashi replied sarcastically. 

“Hmph. Yeah right. Your black cat excuse is more believable than that” Naruto grumbled. 

“As stimulating as this conversation is, I think it’s time we got started. You know the rules. You have fifteen minutes” Kakashi stated blandly, putting his book away for once. 

Though it was more to make sure Naruto knew that this spar was serious and not their usual run-of-the-mill training sessions. 

Naruto smirked, adjusting his form into his taijutsu stance. 

“Just you wait. I’m getting those bells this time for sure Sensei dattebayo!” Naruto boasted. 

Meanwhile, waves of nostalgia were crashing over the three spectators.

_“The test is simple. The three of you are to come at me by any means necessary to retrieve the bells. Whoever does not manage to take a bell from me is to be sent back to the Academy” Tobirama explained._

_He watched as Homura and Koharu's expressions grew unsure and wary of the task in front of them._

_Taking a subtle glance at the Little Monkey beside them he only saw determination._

_“This might be more interesting than I thought” Tobirama mused, fighting the urge to smirk._

Tobirama couldn’t help the soft upward curves of his lips at the memory of his students. 

He had devised the Bell Test as a way to make sure that the past bad blood between the Clans didn’t affect the squad structure and compromise teamwork. As such his squad was the first to experience the test itself.

_“Dang it, he nearly drowned me on that one. My fire style is just no match for his water” Hiruzen stated, spitting water from his mouth._

_He smacked his fist on the ground. There’s just no way any of them could beat him by themselves! There had to be more to the test than this!_

_Tobirama-sensei wouldn’t just pit them against each other in order to test their capabilities as shinobi. The four of them were supposed to be a Team…That’s it!_

Hiruzen couldn’t help but think of his earlier days during the early years of the Leaf Village’s founding. 

The Bell Test was infamous for being the hardest to pass. It forced the freshly graduated genin to look under the underneath and put aside their differences despite being intentionally pitted against each other. 

Because of its structure many saw it as an old-fashioned test that was connected to the end of the Warring States Era. 

Jonin instructors agreed to use the Bell Test’s concept of teamwork as the final test, but not the test itself. As such it was relegated to his ‘teaching line’.

_“Ha! I won the bet Jiraiya. You’re the one tied to the log” Tsunade boasted, holding the bell in his face._

_“Zip it flat-chest!” Jiraiya countered vindictively._

_“Why you!” Tsunade growled, grabbing onto the front of his shirt._

_The two of them started kicking each other’s legs until Sarutobi-sensei separated them._

_“Tsunade and Orochimaru go home” Sarutobi-sensei ordered._

_“Yes sir” Tsunade said, turning around to stick her tongue out at Jiraiya, smugly wave the bell in his face._

_Orochimaru followed after her with a smug chuckle._

_“A ninja shouldn’t fall for obvious traps” Sarutobi-sensei lectured, “You should try being more like Orochimaru”_

_“All you talk about is Orochimaru-this and Orochimaru-that. I’m not Orochimaru Sensei!” Jiraiya declared irately, Sarutobi-sensei just looked at him in surprise._

_“When I’m out researching my Transparency jutsu is flawless!” Jiraiya boasted confidently._

_“I don’t even want to know where you’ve been with Transparency” Sarutobi-sensei said exasperatedly._

_“I haven’t been caught peeping yet. It’s true I swear!” Jiraiya proclaimed._

_“Alright then if you’re so sure of yourself…I’ll have to tag along next time” Sarutobi-sensei said with a slight blush on his face._

_“……Wow Sarutobi-sensei you’re a perv” Jiraiya declared, stunned._

Jiraiya barely held back a chuckle at the memory of when he first discovered that his Sensei was actually a closeted pervert. 

Sure it sucked that he was stuck on a Team with the Senju heir and Academy genius just because he was the dead-last of their class, but looking back he wouldn’t have wished for things to have ended up any other way.

Jiraiya sent his gaze over to Naruto. The boy truly was the spitting image of his father. 

'Although Minato was definitely in a class all his own' Jiraiya mused. 

_Jiraiya continued to stand atop Gamaken’s head as he waited for his students' next attempt at the bells. Gamaken was finally large enough to ride comfortably, a fact he now readily took advantage of. He was still tiny by toad standards, but large enough to startle my newly graduated genin hopefuls._

_Aoi and Gin had both already tried getting the bells by themselves only to fail. What was starting to interest Jiraiya though was the fact he hadn’t seen hide nor blonde hair of Minato. The boy had vanished at the start of the test and had yet to make a go at the bells._

_Jiraiya smirked._

_The blonde was reportedly a genius among geniuses, so it’ll be interesting to see what he’s been plotting all this time._

Of course Minato had seen through the true meaning of the test from the beginning. The boy was always too sharp for his own good. 

He convinced Aoi and Gin to team up with him to get the bells, thereby passing his squad.

He hadn’t really wanted to take on another trio of kids. It had only been a year since he came back from training his little orphans from the Rain Village, but Sarutobi-sensei insisted. They needed to graduate as many Academy students as possible, so every ninja above chunin was required to take on a squad, no exceptions. 

In the end he couldn’t refuse them anyway. Aoi was a civilian-born who was determined to make something of himself and protect his Village; Gin was a war-orphan who reminded him too much of Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato; and Minato had a personality as infectious as the sun. 

In the end Aoi and Gin ended up dying in the Second World War, with Minato dying after the Third. Minato himself only leaving behind one surviving student to pass along the infamous test someday. 

Jiraiya gazed solemnly between Kakashi and Naruto. 

'And that student now stands before his own pupil with the same test once more' Jiraiya mused. 

“Four of the five consecutive generations of teachers and students stand here today” Tobirama thought weightedly.

“Confident as usual I see. Well then…” Kakashi commented, pausing in his sentence like a starting gun waiting to go off and signal the start of the race. 

Naruto took in a few subtle steadying breaths. 

No one made a sound as they waited for Kakashi to give the signal fire. 

'Just as you taught me with this Test, I will teach him Minato-sensei' Kakashi thought.

“Begin”

Naruto took off with a hand sign free Body Flicker (courtesy of Shisui), launching himself at Kakashi. Reacting to his student’s speed Kakashi effortlessly caught Naruto’s punch. 

Immediately Naruto went for a feint elbow strike-knee jab combo. Kakashi tilted his head away from the elbow strike and caught Naruto’s knee with his free hand. As his elbow was above Kakashi’s shoulder Naruto went right into a downwards elbow strike. Due to his position Kakashi was forced to bend forward so he could then pull back away from Naruto’s strike, however, that was exactly what Naruto wanted. 

As Kakashi bent down Naruto brought up his free right leg to knee Kakashi in the face, and adjusted himself to headbutt the man if his knee connected with the man’s chin or he moved his head up to dodge. Realizing he was effectively cornered Kakashi took the hold he had on Naruto’s right fist and left knee and used it to spin Naruto counter-clockwise, giving him just enough time to pull back and put some distance between them.

After spinning mid-air twice, Naruto landed on the ground in a crouch, growling slightly in frustration. 

The spectators though couldn’t help but be impressed. 

“What a usual taijutsu style. Several feint attacks that aren’t actually feints. Misdirections, and unorthodox attacks such as headbutts thrown in. The Deception Style indeed” Tobirama observed. 

At first glance Naruto’s taijutsu seemed sloppy, untrained, and that of a brawler’s. But that was a misdirection in itself. The opponent would lessen their guard thinking his taijutsu poor, however, the multiple misdirections and feints would leave them unsure where the attack was actually coming from. 

The style still needed some work (the same went for Naruto’s overall taijutsu skills), but his great-grandson had something with that style of his. 

Hiruzen couldn’t help the upwards quirk of his mouth. While still rough, Naruto’s budding taijutsu style still managed to get him a surprise headbutt on the Hyuga prodigy when everybody had previously thought it was impossible. 

Of course it was the only hit he got in with taijutsu alone, but to get past the Hyuga defences even once is still a feat none-the-less (even if it was because Neji had severely underestimated him). 

Just thinking about how much his surrogate grandson has grown just these past eight months alone brought him a flood of happiness. 

Jiraiya was feeling much of the same. Naruto’s taijutsu style reminded him a bit of Kushina’s Savage Fist style, but it was that Body Flicker at the start of the match that had him fighting the prickle of tears. 

To the lesser trained eye Naruto would’ve looked like a yellow flash.

Naruto growled again and stood up once more. 

“Alright then, try this on for size!” Naruto declared, making his signature cross with his fingers. 

Naruto proceeded to conjure eight Clones, each of them making their way to surround Kakashi from all four directions. 

Kakashi proceeded to effortlessly dispel the first three Clones. As he was halfway turned to dispel the fourth one coming at his back the Clone smirked. Kakashi’s eye widened as he realized the ploy right as the Clone blew up like a paper bomb, kicking up a bunch of dirt and dust with it. 

After the explosion cleared Naruto looked at the blast site only to see indented dirt and no Sensei. 

Suddenly a hand reached out from the earth below him, grabbing his right ankle and yanking him downwards. Naruto tried to wriggle free from the entombment of the ground, but to no avail. 

“Nice try. Better luck next time” Kakashi said, giving Naruto his signature smiling eye. 

Naruto’s scowl suddenly turned into a fierce smirk, and the Clone dispelled, causing a large white cloud of smoke to engulf Kakashi. 

As Kakashi was about to leave the smokescreen, four rocks poofed back into Naruto-shaped Shadow Clones and rushed at him. 

“Na-Ru-To” each of the Clones recited as each of them took turns kicking him into the air and out of the smoke. 

“Uzumaki Barrage!” Naruto shouted as he landed a heel drop onto his Sensei’s shoulder, and knocking him straight back down into the unforgiving ground. 

As Naruto landed on his feet he dispersed his Clones. Naruto looked to where he had kicked his Sensei only to see a log instead. 

“Dammit! I thought I had’m that time!” Naruto shouted in annoyance.

Tobirama on the other hand was pleasantly up-beat. He was now starting to understand why Kakashi said Naruto had already mastered the Shadow Clone jutsu to a greater extent than himself. 

Though he was admittedly mildly irritated at the ‘Uzumaki’ Barrage. It was yet another reminder that Naruto still didn’t see himself as a Senju despite now secretly being the official heir to the Clan. 

“He’s definitely very creative with his techniques” Tobirama commented. 

“He get’s that from Minato” Hiruzen stated. 

“Not his mother?” Tobirama asked. 

“Contrary to belief, while Naruto may have inherited a lot of his mother’s personality most of his unusual quirks actually come from his father” Jiraiya casually mentioned with a small quirk of his lips. 

“Really now?” Tobirama said curiously. 

“They both have atypical color preferences, an unexplainable fondness for track suits, a flare for the dramatic, and an affinity for questionable techniques” Jiraiya said, now full on smirking, almost like he was laughing at some sort of inside joke. 

'Which he probably is' Tobirama thinks, feeling out of the loop.

Though he supposes that’s what happens when you die. People aren’t supposed to come back from the dead after all.

“Lightning style: Dog Catcher’s Net” Kakashi shouts from his position in the bushes. 

Suddenly, nine shuriken covered in electricity come rushing at Naruto. The electricity coming off each of the shuriken connecting together and making the shuriken look very much like an electrified net. 

“Shuriken Shadow Clone jutsu” Naruto shouted, tossing a shuriken into the air and watching it multiply.

“No bad” Kakashi commented, watching as his jutsu engulfed the barrage of shuriken, the electricity spreading into Naruto’s shuriken and making an even larger net now heading straight for his panicking student.

“Crap!” Naruto exclaimed, using Rending Drill Fang to sink into the earth and escape Kakashi’s attack.

“Earth style: Earthquake Slam” Kakashi shouted, slamming his hands down onto the ground. 

Suddenly the ground beneath him broke apart into large chunks, dirt and dust spraying everywhere as Naruto’s startled scream was engulfed in the rumbling of the earth.

As the rocks settled the clearing was eerily silent. Naruto nowhere to be seen. 

'Crap, did I overdo it?' Kakashi thought worriedly. 

Jiraiya and Hiruzen were wondering much of the same. Though unnoticed by the three of them, Tobirama held a smirk on his face. 

True to his unexpected nature, Naruto popped out from the ground behind Kakashi, Rasengan in hand. Kakashi’s eye widened at Naruto’s sudden close-proximity with such a dangerous technique. 

“Rasengan!” Naruto shouted, pushing his arm out as far as he could reach. 

Luckily for Kakashi, being a jonin meant that he was able to quickly push off sideways and redirected Naruto’s arm to escape the devastating jutsu. 

Naruto’s attack missed and struck the ground instead, creating a large blast as the rotations tore apart the ground around him. 

As the explosion cleared Naruto was standing again in a similar position to earlier. His eyes determined. 

“Alright, I think that’s time” Hiruzen called out, breaking Naruto out of his fierce concentration. 

“What?! Oh come on! Give me another ten minutes! I was so close this time!” Naruto shouted unhappily. 

“The deal was fifteen minutes Naruto. You’ll just have to train harder for next time” Jiraiya said smirking. 

“Fine” Naruto grumbled, giving Jiraiya a frustrated pout, puffed out cheeks and all.

Naruto and Kakashi walked back over to the larger group. Both of them for the most part uninjured minus some dust and dirt on their clothes. 

“Well done” Tobirama praised, “There are still plenty of things we need to work on, but you did very well in keeping your Sensei on his toes”

“You betcha!” Naruto said happily, giving his great-grandfather his signature kilo-watt smile. 

“We don’t call him the Number One Unpredictable Knucklehead Ninja for nothing” Kakashi mentioned fondly. 

“Those Shadow Clone techniques you used, what are they called?” Tobirama asked curiously. 

“I’ve just been callin’m Shuriken Shadow Clone, Shadow Clone Explosion, and Shadow Clone Smokescreen. Not totally awesome names like the Rasengan, but they work. Shisui actually was the one who helped me create the Shadow Clone Explosion and Smokescreen for my fight against Neji” Naruto explained, folding his hands behind his head. 

'Better than what your Dad probably would’ve come up with kid' Jiraiya thought wryly. 

'Minato-sensei probably would have called it ‘Shadow Clone Self-Igniting Surprise Suicide Blast’ or something ridiculous like that' Kakashi thought, huffing out an inward chuckle. 

“Regardless I’d like to go over how you created them some time. The spar allowed me to get a fairly good grasp of your abilities and how we should proceed with training” Tobirama stated. 

“Awesome! When do we start?!” Naruto asked excitedly.

“Right now”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed the fight and the Flashbacks!
> 
> The next chapter will include Sasuke and Sakura too!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> Team 7 all-together again for the first time in a while!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Third POV)**

“Really!?” Naruto said excitedly. 

“Yes. Your teammates are about to arrive. We will begin once they do” Tobirama answered. 

“Huh? Sasuke and Sakura? Why are they coming here? Are they joining us in our training?” Naruto asked confused. 

“Not quite. You will be training under myself and Jiraiya. They will have their own mentors. I asked for them to be here for the start of the lesson. You will see why once we begin” Tobirama explained. 

“Well, okay then” Naruto replied, both confused and unbearably curious as to what the lesson could be. 

True to Tobirama’s senses the group spotted the remaining two members of Team 7 walking together towards their location. 

“Hey guys! Ready for some hardcore training!?” Naruto shouted to them excitedly as they approached closer to them. 

“Energetic as always” Sakura commented, though one could tell there was a hint of fondness in her words. 

“Hn” Sasuke grunted, paying more attention to the two individuals that he didn’t know. 

The white haired man in red had been with Naruto…Jiraiya he recalled. One of the three legendary Sannin if the Ramen Shop owner had been correct. As for the white haired man in blue, he seemed vaguely familiar somehow but he couldn’t place from where.

“Um, I’m sorry, but are– aren’t you the Second Hokage?” Sakura stammered in nervous awe. 

She had heard the rumors of his return, but she wasn’t sure whether to believe them or not. 

Taking a better look at him she vaguely recalled that she might have passed him by on the streets a few weeks ago. He was good looking yes, but what had made him stick out to her was the blue armor that he wore. While shinobi have the option of wearing a flak jacket and plates for any exposed body parts, almost no one wore full-body armor anymore unless they were a samurai. 

To be in the presence of such a legendary figure was incredible! His prowess in Water Style and Space-Time ninjutsu was documented to be almost unparalleled. Not to mention much of the political structure, laws, and even the development of a majority of the institutions implemented within the Village, such as the Academy, ANBU, and Chunin Exams, were created by him. 

...Of course the biggest question was why he was here with their squad in the first place?

“That’s not possible. The Second Hokage is dead” Sasuke stated matter-of-factly, suddenly very suspicious of the man in front of them. 

“Indeed I am. I was returned to the world of the living by Orochimaru. However, I am not truly alive. I am merely a reanimation” Tobirama explained. 

Sasuke just narrowed his eyes at the man. 

Second Hokage or not the moment _his_ name was uttered he found his suspicions rising even more. 

“Lord Second is not under Orochimaru’s control Sasuke. Relax” Kakashi assured. 

Sasuke reluctantly unstiffened his posture, but the distrust in his eyes didn’t lessen. Sakura wasn’t much better. Orochimaru was still a sore spot for their team. 

“Seriously guys chill! I’ve been living with him for the past two days and I’m telling you, you can trust him” Naruto said, giving his wary teammates a bright smile. 

“Are you stupid!?” Sasuke demanded. 

“What did you just say?!” Naruto shouted back. 

“You let a stranger brought back by Orochimaru stay with you in your house?! He could’ve killed you in your sleep!” Sasuke said furiously. 

“He wouldn’t do that!” Naruto shouted angrily. 

“There you go blindly trusting people!” Sasuke said irately. 

“It’s not blind trust!” Naruto retorted. 

“Oh yeah? How do you know that Orochimaru won’t just take back control of his body and use him to kill you?” Sasuke demanded.

“Because he’s my great-grandfather and he created the damn reanimation jutsu in the first place!” Naruto shouted, his voice echoing through the now silent training grounds.

Sasuke and Sakura just stared at Naruto as if he had suddenly turned pink and grew two extra heads. 

“Well uh, that wasn’t how I was planning on telling you guys, but uh yeah, that” Naruto said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. 

Tobirama just sighed. 

Sasuke and Sakura looked like they were still trying to process the meaning of Naruto’s words, but a wire was obviously still disconnected. 

“How…?” Sakura muttered in confusion, her eyes skating between the Second Hokage and her teammate as she tried to make sense of how the two could actually be related. 

Naruto was an orphan, a descendent of a wiped out Clan, and was treated like trash by most of the Village. 

In contrast, the remaining members of the Senju clan were held in high reverence. If Naruto was related to the Second Hokage wouldn’t the Village have treated him better? 

“Hn” Sasuke grunted in agreeing confusion. 

For all intents and purposes Naruto was a loser. The dead-last. Even though he was improving at a frustratingly high rate he was still a loser. A clanless, familyless loser. How could he possibly be related to someone from such a high standing Clan, let alone a Kage? Naruto was a nobody. 

_“A nobody now gaining everyone’s attention because of all his hard-work that you made fun of him for”_ a dark part of his mind supplied.

“Naruto’s heritage was kept a secret for his own protection. As such, the two of you are forbidden from disclosing this to anyone, even your parents” Hiruzen stated firmly, directing the last bit specifically at Sakura. 

“Y-yes sir” Sakura stammered after a moment of surprise. 

“Humph. Sure, whatever” Sasuke scoffed. 

It didn’t matter. He was still stronger than Naruto, and that wasn’t going to change, newly revealed heritage or not. 

Tobirama narrowed a critical gaze at the young Uchiha. 

This was the first time he had been around the boy in person. Now he knew for certain that the boy was under his Clan’s Curse, and from what it seemed like it was centered on Naruto. 

That realization made his hackles rise. Memories of his elder brother’s conflicts and emotional torment at the hands of his ‘best friend’ circling around in the forefront of his brain. 

He hadn’t seen eyes like that since Madara. This boy was dangerous. _Very_ dangerous. 

'You’re just projecting' Tobirama told himself, mentally shaking away the memories. 

Regardless the boy needed help before he sunk any lower into his hatred.

“Well, now that’s settled we can begin” Kakashi stated. 

Sasuke and Sakura both blinked for a moment before their eyes nearly bugged out of their heads. 

“Kakashi-sensei!? I just realized…You arrived before us!?” Sakura screamed in shock, pointing a finger at the man that was _supposedly_ her Sensei. 

“Apocalypse?” Sasuke wondered in horror. 

Uchihas were notorious for being expressionless, so it was pretty hilarious for everyone to see Sasuke’s eyes the size of saucers. 

Recovering from his shock Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his ‘Sensei’, his eyes suddenly turning red. 

“Did you just activate your Sharingan in order to check if I was real?” Kakashi sweatdropped. 

“It would be like you to troll us with a clone” Sasuke dead-panned. 

Jiraiya and Hiruzen full on laughed at the antics of the squad. Tobirama on the other hand just sweatdropped. 

'Naruto must not have been exaggerating when he said that he was usually around three hours late for everything. His students are acting like the world is going to come apart just because he was here on time' Tobirama thought.

“Well then, I’ll leave you all to your work” Hiruzen said, turning around to walk away with his hands behind his back, “Just remember, each of you are still saplings with plenty of room left to grow. With a little nurturing and hard work I have no doubt each of you will become sturdy oaks”

And with that Hiruzen’s body vanished amongst a swirl of leaves. 

'Heh. Show-off' Naruto thought smirking. 

“Let’s get down to business shall we?” Tobirama said. 

The trio of genin immediately turned their attention to him. 

“Before each of you begin your individual training we will first determine your elemental affinities” Tobirama stated. 

Sasuke scoffed. 

“This is a waste of time for me. Unlike these two I can already use two elements” Sasuke stated haughtily. 

Kakashi in turn smacked him on the top of his head with his beloved Icha Icha novel. 

“What was that for?” Sasuke demanded with a grumble. 

“Don’t get all high and mighty Sasuke. There is still plenty about your own elemental affinities that you don’t know about” Kakashi lectured. 

Sasuke just growled at him in annoyance. 

“It is as Kakashi stated. While you may already know how to use two elements, that does not mean you know of all your natural affinities” Tobirama stated pointedly. 

“All? But Sensei, I thought that unless you had an elemental kekkei genkai people usually only have one natural affinity?” Sakura asked confused.

“Though that is the most common belief, it’s not entirely true. While it is true that most people learn their main element and then just pick another element of their choosing to learn, the reality is that people tend to have a proclivity towards more than one element. It’s just that the standard chakra paper only shows a person their main element, or elements if they possess an elemental kekkei genkai, that they have the strongest affinity for in their chakra, excluding yin and yang release. Which is how the misconception got started in the first place” Kakashi explained. 

“The chakra card that we will be giving each of you analyzes your chakra to see the degree of affinity you have for _all_ of the elements, including yin and yang release. They are then broken down into main and secondary affinities, and then placed in order from the highest proclivity to lowest” Tobirama detailed.

'Along with telling us a few other things' Kakashi thought eagerly.

“That being said, it is extremely rare for someone to naturally have an affinity for all five of the chakra natures plus yin and yang release. The First Hokage and Madara Uchiha were some of the few that did. Lord Second, Hiruzen, and Orochimaru were some of the few who learned to use all the basic natures through hard-work” Jiraiya added. 

“Wait a second, if we’re talking about _natural_ affinities than wouldn’t Madara be counted out seeing as the Sharingan can copy jutsu?” Sasuke inquired, eyeing Jiraiya skeptically.

“Normally yes. The Sharingan allows one to copy techniques and to use that element. But it works the same way as someone who doesn’t have any affinity for water learning water release. They will eventually learn it, but they don’t have a natural affinity for it so it makes learning it harder for them. Madara just happened to have a degree of affinity for all the elements” Tobirama explained.

“Now that you understand, these are the cards you will be using” Tobirama said, handing each of them a small but thick blank white card. 

“Okay, so what do we do now?” Naruto asked, turning the card over in his hands. 

“Focus your chakra into it. The card will do the rest” Tobirama explained simply. 

Naruto and Sasuke wasted no time in doing just that. Suddenly their cards gave off a poof of smoke and data materialized in the form of a 3D graph. 

“Whoa! It’s just like Kabuto’s ninja info cards!” Naruto said impressed. 

“Well kid are you going to leave us all in suspense or are you going to share your results with the rest of the class?” Jiraiya teased, secretly eager to see the results. 

Kakashi and Tobirama felt much of the same. 

Sasuke hid a smug grin, taking his eyes away from his own results to see how the Dobe faired. 

Naruto held out his card horizontally away from his body so everyone could step closer and look. 

The data read as follows:  
Primary Affinities: Yang, Wind, Earth, and Water  
Secondary Affinities: Yin, Fire, and Lightning

'All five natures!?' Kakashi, Tobirama, and Jiaiya thought at once. 

'Incredible. Here we were just trying to see if Naruto inherited Wood release. But this…' Kakashi thought trailing off. 

'Well things just got even more interesting' Tobirama thought proudly. 

“Well kid congratulations you’re a part of the rare minority that has an affinity for each of the elements” Jiraiya congratulated. 

“Seriously!? I always knew I was awesome dattebayo!” Naruto cheered. 

“Humph. Don’t think you're ahead of me Loser” Sasuke stated smirking. 

“Oh yeah?! Let’s see your results then Bastard!” Naruto challenged. 

Sasuke gave him a smug smirk and held out his own card for all to see:

Primary Affinities: Yin, lightning, and Fire  
Secondary Affinities: Wind, Earth, Water, and Yang

'Impossible! Both of them have an affinity for all five elements!?' Kakashi thought in shock. 

“Having one of them possess an affinity for each of the five elements is rare enough. The odds of two individuals on the same team possessing an affinity for the five elements are in the single digits at best” Tobirama thought dumbfounded. 

“Oh? Things just got doubly interesting” Jiraiya said, snapping out of his surprise. 

Naruto growled in frustration. 

“So what? I’m gonna wipe that smirk off your face once I beat you” Naruto declared. 

“Ha, as if you could” Sasuke taunted. 

“Pipe down brats. I didn’t come to hear shinobi bickering like immature toddlers” a stern voice sounded, echoing across the field. 

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura looked to the left in surprise. 

Unlike the adults, they had been so caught up in themselves they didn’t notice anyone approaching. 

“You” Naruto muttered in surprised recognition. 

“Ibiki Morino. You were our proctor for the First Exam” Sakura recalled. 

“Indeed. I certainly had fun with your little group this year” Ibiki commented with a teasing smirk. 

“Fun for you maybe” Naruto grumbled. 

“Not to be rude Sensei, but aren’t you the Head of the Torture and Interrogation Division? What are you doing here?” Sakura asked curiously.

“Astute observation. As for the answer to your question…Congratulations. You’re my newest apprentice” Ibiki said eyeing Sakura, smirking all the while. 

“Huh? What? Me?” Sakura said unintelligibly. 

“Yes you Sakura” Kakashi confirmed, “Naruto will be training under Master Jiraiya and Lord Tobirama, and myself and another individual will be teaching Sasuke. As such, I asked Ibiki to oversee your training. He’ll be a big help with your kekkei genkai”

Sakura just looked at the man, stunned to silence. 

'He’s going to be my new mentor?' Sakura thought worriedly. 

“B-but Sensei, I’m already studying under Lady Tsunade” Sakura commented nervously. 

Her teammates looked at her in shock. 

“Oh? Tsunade accepted you as her apprentice? That’s rare” Jiraiya commented with a smirk of his own. 

“Even still. Both of your teammates will have two mentors. It is only fair that you should as well” Tobirama reasoned. 

“...Yes sir” Sakura said softly. 

She then turned back to Ibiki. The man still terrified her, but…

'Naruto and Sasuke will both be training under legends. If I’m going to get stronger I need to train as hard as I can! And if that means training under the Leaf Village’s Head Torturer then so be it!' Sakura resolved. 

“Thank you very much Ibiki-sensei” Sakura said giving him a grateful bow. 

“Good. Now how about you activate your card so we can get this show on the road?” Ibiki stated, eyeing Sakura knowingly. 

Everyone looked down at the still blank card in her hand. 

“Hey Sakura how come you have activated the paper yet?” Naruto asked. 

Sakura said nothing. 

How could she activate her card when her teammates had the stats they did? She wasn’t like them. 

'Knowing me I’d probably only have one elemental nature, and no secondary ones' Sakura thought despondently. 

“Sakura?” Naruto said softly, slightly worried about his teammate. 

Sasuke's face turned expressionless as he wracked his brain on how to tell her she had no reason to be embarrassed and encourage her to activate the card without his usual mocking tone that he uses to rile up Naruto. 

“Stop comparing yourself to your teammates. You are not them. You have your own skill set and talents just as they do. Continue with the exercise” Ibiki firmly proclaimed, his voice confident and sure. 

Sakura looked at him surprised. 

'Sensei…thank you' Sakura thought gratefully. 

Sakura gave him a firm nod and began pushing her chakra into the card. 

As soon as the puff of smoke appeared her teammates eagerly stepped forward to see:

Primary Affinities: Yin, Yang, and Water  
Secondary Affinities: Earth

Sakura felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. She had one more elemental affinity then she was expecting, but she still couldn’t help feeling sub-par compared to her teammates. 

'It’s always like this' she thought despondently, 'Those two always seem to be on a totally different level. Even compared to everyone else'

“Do not feel inadequate” Ibiki spoke out.

Sakura shifted her gaze to meet his eyes. 

“Your stats are typical of the average shinobi. Actually, that is not entirely correct. Most people do not have such a strong primary affinity for both yin and yang release” Ibiki assured her, hoping he could use this experience to start improving her self-confidence. 

“What’d you mean? I thought everyone could use yin and yang release” Sakura asked. 

“True, everyone can. However, like elemental affinities each person has a different degree of affinity for them. Take your teammate for example. Sasuke’s strongest primary affinity is yin release, and yet his affinity for yang release is the lowest out of all his affinities” Ibiki explained. 

“Yin and Yang release make up all the non-elemental techniques in the world. Including the hiden jutsu passed down in many clans. Affinities are generally inherited from the parents. Because of this certain Clans tend to have a common affinity amongst their members, however, inheritance of that element as a primary affinity is not always guaranteed” Tobirama explained. 

Sasuke clenched his fists.

Sakura nodded in acceptance, slightly more reassured than a minute ago. 

“What do the stars in the corner of the card represent?” Naruto asked, giving his card a critical glare. 

Sasuke and Sakura looked at their cards as well. They hadn’t thought much of it as each of them had at least one star on their card. 

“Now that’s the million dollar question here isn’t it” Jiraiya said with a teasing smirk. 

“Okay, but what does it mean?” Sasuke asked curiously, a hint of irritation in his voice. 

“The number of stars represent the number of kekkei genkai that you have” Jiraiya said excitedly. 

“Oh” Naruto said simply. 

And 1, 2, 3, 4, 5….

The realization of what Pervy Sage had just said hit him like a brick. 

“Kekkei genkai?!!!!” Naruto shouted, his voice echoing through the field.

“Indeed. We had our suspicions that you may have inherited our Clan’s Wood release and Regenerative capabilities, and it seems as though we were correct” Tobirama said with a smile, amused at Naruto's reaction. 

'Although, Naruto has four stars on his card, and Sasuke has two' Kakashi noted curiously. 

Ibiki looked at Naruto in disbelief. 

'That would make him a Senju' Ibiki thought, narrowing his eyes slightly at the other adults. 

Something was going on, and he wanted to know what.

“...Me?” Naruto asked in disbelief, completely and utterly stunned.

“No, Sasuke. Of course you! Don’t act so surprised kid it’s not something you could’ve found out on your own” Jiraiya stated exasperatedly. 

“Wow Naruto that’s incredible!” Sakura praised, breaking out of her shock, happy for her teammate.

“Yeah well, I guess I’m just awesome like that!” Naruto said, Sakura's words breaking him out of his shock, “Hey! That means all three of us have kekkei genkais now! How cool is that!?” 

Sakura smiled at his enthusiasm, "Our Team's just awesome like that!"

"Cause we're the strongest genin Team!" Naruto whole-heartedly agreed, pumping his fists in the air.

Unbeknownst to them Sasuke was glaring fiercely at Naruto. 

“The group session is done. Each of you are to now go with your mentors to begin your specialized training. I wish each of you the best of luck” Tobirama stated, cutting into the conversation.

Sasuke vaguely registered Sakura walking off with their former proctor and Jiraiya Body Flickering away. His focus was squarely on the blonde who had deemed them rivals when they were six. 

He watched as the Zombie Kage teleported away with Naruto in tow, and Sasuke continued to glare at the spot the blonde had just been standing.

_“You are still weak little brother”_

The voice continued to echo tauntingly through his head like a broken record.

'I will not be weak' Sasuke furiously resolved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope my explanations on chakra affinities made sense!
> 
> It is canon fact that Hashirama, Madara, Tobirama, Orochimaru, and Hiruzen could use all the chakra natures, and that it's rare to be able to do so, so I delved more into chakra natures a bit.
> 
> Foreshadowing, foreshadowing, foreshadowing ;)
> 
> Next chapter will give major insight into where Sasuke's mindset is and how affected his he is by the Curse right now (he kind of flip-flops with it).
> 
> *JFYI: Itachi said that phrase to Sasuke in a slightly different context after the Massacre (sorry no spoilers).


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> *Warning: mature themes*
> 
> Got a long chapter for you this time, with a lot going on.
> 
> I didn't want to extend the training into multiple chapters so one big one it is!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Sasuke’s POV)**

Everyone in the Village, civilian or shinobi, knew my name.

Or rather, they knew what I was called.

They didn’t know me.

Genius.

Uchiha.

Fugaku’s son.

Itachi’s little brother.

From the day I was born everything I did was compared to my older brother. 

Itachi had started talking a month younger than me. By the time I was crawling everywhere like a little hellion Itachi had already begun to attempt to stand. 

By being born first Itachi had become the standard our father held me to. No matter how talented I was, no matter how much of a ‘genius’ people called me, I was never good enough. 

My Father had expected me to be just like Itachi. 

But I never could meet his expectations. 

Even as a toddler I remember hearing my father comment once on how I was too cheerful and clingy, that Itachi had already been calm and independent when he had been the same age. 

Whenever Itachi achieved something Father always said _“That’s my boy”._

So when I began my training at three (because there was no way the Uchiha would let the Hyuga stand them up) I had hoped that I would finally get him to say those words to me.

But he never did.

Not even when I showed promise with shurikenjutsu and kyujutsu. 

To the Clan I was just talented. 

I wasn’t a genius like my brother. 

So when I was four I thought that if I could somehow tag along on one of Itachi's missions I would get my Father to see that I was just as worthy of being called his son. 

I thought for sure he would after I helped Itachi on his mission to catch a boar terrorizing a small town. 

All I got was a severe scolding for potentially endangering Itachi’s mission and putting myself at risk. 

By the time I was five I knew just what I was.

An extra.

A spare in case something happened to Itachi. 

Since I was the lesser talented second-born my Father didn’t have time to waste on me. 

It hurt like a burn that would never fade, but my Mother had doted on me and never failed to try and convince me that I was wrong in how I thought my Father saw me. And Itachi for all his superiority was unfailingly humble and never failed to acknowledge my presence.

Even though I knew that I was just the second child I still held onto the hope that once I started at the Academy when I was six my Father would finally see that I was worth his time too. 

Of course my brother’s shadow lingered over me even at the Academy. 

Even all the Academy teachers expected me to be like Itachi. 

They praised me seven ways to Sunday, calling me a genius like my older brother. I quickly established myself as the top of the class, gaining attention from many of my peers. Including a particular idiotic blonde. 

During our first class spar we had both been pitted against each other. Hell you couldn’t even call it a match. I beat him in two seconds. 

After that the Loser had declared that we were rivals and vowed that he would beat me. 

Naturally he never did. At anything. Hell, to me we weren’t even rivals! 

How could I ever be rivals with someone as talentless as him? I would never get my Father to acknowledge me. 

However my Mother had told me to be nice to him even if I didn’t like him. When I asked her why she just gave me a sad look and said that the Dobe was probably just lonely. 

After that I realized that he had no family. No friends. That everyone avoided him like the plague.

But it didn’t change anything.

We weren’t friends. 

But I no longer ignored any of his challenges no matter how stupid they were. No matter how many smiles and laughs we shared we _weren’t_ friends. 

Bonds like that only made you weak (according to my Father). 

But I figured continuing our…rivalry wouldn’t make a difference so long as I remained at the top of the class. 

But even after handing my Father every perfect report card I never got the acknowledgement I wanted. 

Itachi had graduated the Academy at seven, awoke his sharingan at eight, became a chunin at ten, an ANBU at eleven, and a captain at thirteen. 

Now that we were officially in a time of peace all academy students were to graduate at twelve. 

_Twelve._

My brother was in the ANBU at that age! So I trained even harder. 

But it wasn’t until I was turning eight that my father turned to me for the first time. 

I was so concerned with my own insignificant troubles that I never knew anything was wrong before it was too late. 

I didn’t understand the tensions going around the Compound. 

I didn’t understand the pressures my brother was under, my Clan’s plans, and my parents’ roles in it. 

When Itachi had been accused of almost killing Shisui I found myself afraid him for the first time in my life.

Afterwards my Father had taken me down to the lake to train me for the first time ever. 

When he showed me our Clan’s rite of passage, the Fireball jutsu, I thought I finally had the chance to show him that I was more than just a spare. 

Of course for all my effort all I could produce were a few small tuffs of flames. 

Now I know the real reason I had so much difficulty learning the jutsu was because I had an affinity for lightning release that trumped my affinity for fire. 

Clans with hiden elemental techniques almost never checked their clansman’s elemental affinity because it was expected that it would match the majority of the Clan’s. 

Despite not knowing my disadvantage I spent a week determined to erase the disappointment on my Father’s face. 

When I finally showed him the results of my training I finally heard the words I waited nearly eight years to hear.

_“That’s my boy”_

Of course I realize now that the real reason why my Father had started taking an interest in me was because Itachi had been disinherited as the Clan heir. 

My father had been testing me to see if I was worthy of taking my brother’s place. 

But at the time I couldn’t have been happier. 

Of course, that illusion was shattered forever.

Blood.

Blood and corpses.

The Uchiha clan prided themselves that the only red we would don would be our Clan’s Crest and Sharingan. 

If you saw red on an Uchiha you ran.

Red painted the Uchiha District.

And I ran.

As I desperately tried to reach home a Masked Man appeared in front of me. 

Before I could do anything I found myself gazing at a familiar red glow.

Torture.

That’s all it can be called. 

Being trapped within an endless genjutsu. Forced to watch as my family and clan were slaughtered over and over again. 

By the time I realized I was looking at the night sky I was sure years had past. 

I vaguely recalled Shisui and Itachi coming into my line of vision. 

I was seeing them, but at the same time I wasn’t. Then everything faded away once more. 

When I finally came to I was in a secluded white room in a private area of the hospital. The medics and Inoichi Yamanaka were the ones who (barely) managed to bring me out of my coma. 

When I finally saw Itachi and Shisui a sense of relief let a huge weight off my shoulders. I wasn’t alone. 

But that relief didn’t last long.

They told me the truth.

They told me everything.

The coup. The Council’s decision. The Masked Man. Everything.

I didn’t understand.

I didn’t understand their reasoning that it was for the better. 

I didn’t understand why three-quarters of the Elder Council just ordered our demise. 

I didn’t understand how Itachi and Shisui could go through with it. 

I didn’t understand why Itachi left. 

The fact he was leaving for some undercover mission was how Shisui convinced Itachi to tell me the truth at all!

I hated the Elder Council for everything they’ve done. And I _will_ find a way to make sure they pay for all the suffering that they’ve put my family through, someday, somehow.

When I walked into class a week after the Massacre I could only feel hate towards those surrounding me. 

I hated how everyone treated me like broken glass. Like I was weak and in need of protecting. 

That is, until _he_ spoke out.

_“I hope you’re ready Sasuke! Cause today’s the day I finally wipe the floor with you!”_

_“Humph. As if. You’ll always be the Dead-Last”_

Even with everything that changed _we_ hadn’t.

Now that sense of normalcy was breaking apart once more. 

Naruto had always been a talentless loser. But ever since we became a team I started to notice him. 

He was improving. Fast. 

Before the Forest of Death I had been confident that I was still our Team’s best fighter. But I couldn’t defeat Gaara. I couldn’t save Sakura.

But Naruto _did._

When I had learned that Itachi had returned I’d been desperate to track him down no matter what to ask him _why._

I couldn’t understand why he and Shisui had done did what they did. 

How they could just kill (almost) _everyone_?

While I could _maybe_ understand killing off those a part of the coup, I couldn’t understand why they killed those who had no knowledge of what was going on. 

The elderly. _Most of the children._

How he could willingly choose to become a missing-ninja in order to help the Village that had ordered his family’s slaughter. 

Of course when I had finally managed to confront Itachi I was tossed aside. 

_For Naruto._

My brother had beaten me, ridiculed me, and left me in a coma. 

_Going after Naruto._

But why!? What was it about Naruto that made him so special? How was he suddenly getting so strong?!

I wasn’t going to lose. 

I will get stronger! 

‘I will not be weak’ I resolved. 

I turned to Kakashi. 

“So. Are we going to get started or what?” I demanded, more than a little mildly annoyed that the Dobe and Sakura were studying under Sanin and Kage while I only had Kakashi as a teacher.

‘I will not let him hold me back’ I ultimately decided, clenching my fists.

“Still have that stick shoved up your ass I see” a voice spoke out, teasingly sharp. 

‘I know that voice’ I realized. 

Sure enough, a woman with purple hair and stripper worthy clothes strut dangerously close beside Kakashi and I. 

Anko Mitarashi. 

“Well now that your second Sensei is here I guess there’s nothing left to do but get down to business” Kakashi said, shutting his orange book once again. 

“Sensei?” I questioned disbelievingly, “Her?”

_She_ was supposed to be my new sensei? Was this some kind of joke?

“I’m gonna have fun making you squeal” Anko said with a sadistic smile, reminiscent of Orochimaru himself, causing a shiver to involuntarily crawl up my spine.

**(Naruto’s POV)**

I was super pumped to finally be getting started on some training! I couldn’t help but wonder what Grandpa Tobirama would teach me first? Some super awesome jutsu? Maybe even the Flying Thunder God technique? I’d be so cool to just teleport everywhere and not have to walk! 

Of course we just went over elemental affinities so maybe we’d start there? 

Just the thought of using the esteemed Wood release gives me an extra energy kick! 

“Where are we?” I asked, not recognizing the location Grandpa Tobirama teleported us to. 

The trees were some of the largest I’ve ever seen. They stood taller than the Hokage Tower and the trunks were thicker than thirty of my clones standing side-by-side. 

“This is a special site my brother and I used to train. The property is an extension of the Senju Compound” Grandpa Tobirama explained. 

“This place kind of reminds me of the Forest of Death” I commented in awe.

“Forest of Death? I am not familiar with such a location” Grandpa Tobirama inquired. 

“The Forest of Death. You know, training ground 44?” I said, surprised he’d never heard of it. 

“Training ground 44? My brother used his wood release to create it, so I am not surprised at the comparison. Back in my time it was used to serve as a promotional stage for those vying to become chunin” Grandpa Tobirama said. 

“Yeah, it still is” I told him. 

Grandpa Tobirama was unnervingly silent for moment. 

“What?” I asked him, hoping to break the silence. 

“Why did you call it the Forest of Death?” he asked slowly. 

“Cause that’s what it’s called?” I said confused. 

“And why is it called that?” he asked, sounding like he was reluctant to know the answer. 

“Cause of the high amount of deaths that occur during the Exam” I said simply. 

“And just what happens during the Exam at this stage” he pursued tightly. 

Now I was really confused.

“Well, all the teams that pass the first exam are pitted against each other in a giant to-the-death battle royale during a five day test of survival. Half the teams are given a heaven scroll and the other half are given an earth scroll. In order to pass you have to get the opposite scroll from another team and make it to the tower at the center of the training grounds within five days while also surviving the man-eating animals and poisonous plants scattered throughout the area” I explained, hoping I remembered all the important details. 

Not noticing the look of shocked horror on my great-grandfather’s face I continued. 

“And boy does it live up to its reputation! We had especially bad luck though, running into Orochimaru at the start of the Exam and then having to deal with his minions coming after us afterwards too on top of worrying about the other competitors! We almost didn’t pass the Exam we were so busy watching out for the Snake and his goons! But the three of us kicked-ass and showed those Rain genin what for!” I said, excitedly fist-pumping the air in front of me.

My victory grin dropped as I took in my great-grandfather’s appearance for the first time since I started my explanation. 

The man was trembling in barely concealed rage. The anger vibrating in his eyes scared me more than Gaara’s bloodlusted state ever could. 

While Gaara’s bloodlust had been uncontrolled and chaotic, Grandpa Tobirama’s was directed and focused. His chakra was contained around him like a vortex. 

He was eye of the storm, and his chakra was the typhoon. A force of nature that couldn’t be stopped. 

I couldn’t help but instinctively take a step back away from him, stumbling over a root and landing flat on my ass. 

I shivered in fear at the emotions my great-grandfather was giving off. 

Hatred. Betrayal. And most of all, _fury_. 

Just like with Gaara in the beginning, his emotions suffocated me, and I found myself struggling more and more to breathe. 

As I started to hyperventilate I felt someone grab onto my arms and lift me up. 

“–ruto! You need to breathe!” the voice said. 

It was was easier to listen now that the smothering emotions were gone. So I focused on regulating my breathing. 

In. Out. In. Out. One. Two. Three. 

I felt a soothing energy crash over me, reminding me of the calming waves of the ocean as the tides flowed back and forth. Back and forth. 

My breathing returned to normal and my eyes focused on the person in front of me.

Blue and white were the first things I could make out as my vision blurred back into clarity. 

Grandpa Tobirama. 

His face was twisted in concern as he looked at me with his piercing ruby red eyes. 

“Are you alright?” he asked slowly, cautiously releasing my arms as if to make sure I didn’t collapse again. 

“Yeah” I said, trying to regain myself. 

“I–I am sorry for subjecting you to my anger like that. It was inappropriate and you did not deserve to feel the brunt of that” Grandpa Tobirama said, sounding deeply regretful. 

“It’s okay. It’s not like you meant too. I just don’t understand why you felt so mad and betrayed?” I asked him. 

“I –” Grandpa Tobirama stopped talking for a second. 

“Naruto. How did you know that I felt betrayed?” Grandpa Tobirama asked curiously. 

“I uh, just did?” I said nervously. 

Grandpa Tobirama just continued to stare at me as if he wanted a better explanation. 

I sighed. 

“I don’t know okay. It’s just a feeling I get. I can’t really explain it” I said embarrassed. 

I never told anybody about it because I figured they’d think I was just making it up or something.

Grandpa Tobirama nodded. 

“Naruto, what has Jiraiya told you about your skills as a jinchuriki?” Grandpa Tobirama asked. 

“That I can access the Fox’s chakra and use it to augment my own techniques” I answered.

“That is not all” he tells me, “Being the Nine-Tails’ jinchuriki gives you an enhanced healing ability when you use its chakra, as well as the special sensory capability of sensing negative emotions”

“Negative emotions?” I parrot in confusion. 

“Yes. It gives you the ability to sense things such as hatred and bloodlust more clearly as well as being able to detect false intentions in someone who could be a threat” Grandpa Tobirama explains. 

“Seriously!? That’s so cool!…Actually that also kinda sucks, but it’s cool too!” I said, both excited and relieved that I wasn’t actually crazy after all. 

All my life I could almost feel the hate of the Villagers as they caught sight of me. And after the Land of Waves it was almost like I suddenly really _could_ feel their hatred.

I thought it was just me being oversensitive to the cold, hate-filled eyes they would gaze at me with...But now I know I _am_ actually feeling their hatred for my existence…And that somehow made things worse.

Mentally shaking myself out of my depression I smiled up at my great-grandfather. No matter what, I _am_ going to become Hokage! 

“So, what are we gonna start with first?” I asked excitedly. 

Grandpa Tobirama looked almost relieved to see me so energetic. 

Grandpa Tobirama created three shadow clones. 

“First I will have you make thirty shadow clones. Ten of your Clones will work on your wind nature, another ten will be instructed in taijutsu, the final ten will be receiving educational instruction, while the real you will be training with me on your sensory skills” Grandpa Tobirama stated.

“Alright! I’m ready dattebayo!”

**(Sakura’s POV)**

I tried to control my nerves as best I could. The harsh edge of seriousness Ibiki-sensei was giving off was making me uneasy. 

I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of teacher he would turn out to be. Kakashi-sensei was pretty hands-off. He expected us to learn through experience and our own initiative. 

Sure our weekly Bell Test spars after the mission to the Land of Waves upped my sorry excuse for stamina and physical skills to average, but he never taught me any jutsu. I picked up genjutsu on my own and improved my weapons skills myself. 

Of course I didn’t complain. Up until the Third Round of the Chunin Exam Kakashi-sensei hadn’t trained any of us one-on-one, so who was I to whine about it? What Kakashi-sensei did teach me was far more valuable in the long run anyway. 

Back when I first graduated the Academy I only knew about the dangers of shinobi life in theory. Unlike my teammates I’d never experienced combat or the harsh realities of life before. While some might think Kakashi-sensei’s methods are overkill on inexperienced genin, the Bell Test had given me my first taste of the reality of our profession.

A few weeks later he put our team in its place when he finally got sick and tired of us insulting each other. When Kakashi-sensei had called me a fangirl bully it had slapped another much needed reality-check on me. 

Back during the Academy I wanted to change myself. I wanted to be as confident as Ino so that people would acknowledge me too. And ever since that day Sasuke had complimented me for finally standing up for myself in class when we were ten I made it my mission for him to acknowledge me. My feelings going from a strong admiration in his confidence and skills to a schoolgirl crush. 

I’d been so focused on leaving Ino’s shadow and getting Sasuke to acknowledge me that I didn’t notice that I had become my worst enemy at the Academy. 

Ami and her goons put me down any chance they got in order to feel better about themselves, and it hurt to realize that I had been doing the same thing to others. 

Being on Team 7 made me realize that Sasuke had his flaws just like everyone else, and that Naruto wasn’t what everyone said he was. Yes he could grate on people’s nerves, but I discovered that it was only because he was so socially deficient. 

Kakashi-sensei also made me realize that civilian concerns such as looks and dieting were not practical for a kunoichi. Of course, he also told me that it didn’t mean I had to let myself go, there were just more efficient ways of doing things, and happily replaced my civilian magazines with kunoichi ones in order to give me some ideas (to this day I refuse to ask why he had those magazines).

Even so, I still didn’t take my training as seriously as I should have. That is, until the mission to the Land of Waves. A mission we should have never even dared to try and complete on our own. 

It had given me my first encounter with an enemy shinobi. My first experience in dealing with a rogue ninja. In feeling bloodlust. And my first experience in feeling what it was like to lose a teammate (even if it was only temporary). 

The mission had changed each of us, though in different ways. For me, I started taking my training more seriously. Naruto and Sasuke were close-combat fighters who were always throwing themselves into the fray. Because of that I resolved to watch their backs and protect them both no matter what. 

Then Kakashi-sensei registered us for the Chunin Exams. Unlike Naruto and Sasuke my self-confidence wasn’t as strong. That was until Sasuke had complimented me _publicly_ for the first time since we were ten. He gave me the confidence I needed to move forward with the Exam.

It was during the Second Stage that everything changed. For us, it was no longer a _test_ for survival. It was a _fight_ for our survival. After Orochimaru had finished amusing himself I was left to care for two incapacitated teammates while I myself was injured and low on chakra, surrounded by enemies and inside the deadliest training ground the Leaf had to offer with no way to get help. 

For the first time ever I was completely on my own. Sasuke had always been the defacto leader with Naruto and I adding in our own two-cents. All of a sudden it was up to me to make all the decisions and figure out how to keep us alive. I pulled everything I remembered from watching Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke, and every line from every textbook on leadership and survival training that I had ever read. 

When I had to fight Orochimaru’s Team alone I realized I was still allowing my fears to control me. When I cut my hair from Kin’s grasp I vowed that I was done just playing support and being a ninja solely for acknowledgement. I was going to become a strong shinobi and protect both of my teammates even if it cost me my life!

And it is that vow that has me standing here now facing Ibiki-sensei. 

The man without a doubt scared me, but if he was going to help in my training then I would take anything he threw at me! 

Steeling my nerves I straightened my posture and looked at the man dead in the eyes. There was no way I was going to back down now! Not after everything that’s happened. 

“Congratulations you passed my first test” Ibiki-sensei said, his intimidating demeanor lightening into more of a stoic relaxed stance. 

“Huh? I…did? Great…But how?” I asked confused. 

“If you want to be a shinobi you will inevitably have to face down opponents more intimidating than yourself. Conquering that trepidation is key to being able to fight back. For if you do not have the confidence or courage to face your opponent…You _will_ die” Ibiki lectured. 

My eyes widen in realization. So _that’s_ why he was giving off such scary vibes! 

“The same goes for any situation you may find yourself in. As shinobi we deal with the unknown. At any moment things could change at the drop of a hat. You have to be able to adapt and alter your decisions based on the changing events around you. If you don’t have the confidence or mental fortitude necessary it could lead to disastrous consequences” Ibiki continued sternly.

I nodded my head, understanding his words all too well. 

“I will be training you mentally as much as I will be training you physically” Ibiki-sensei declared. 

I tensed my posture, awaiting for either his next test, or his next orders. 

“Today we will work together to learn more about your kekkei genkai, and make some improvements on your shurikenjutsu skills” Ibiki-sensei stated. 

I nodded in affirmation, trying not to look too eager.

“But first…Give me 500 push-ups…with these training weights”

**(Naruto’s POV)**

I sped through the forest as silently as possible. 

I was trying to use my sensory skills to locate Grandpa Tobirama, but my range was still pretty poor. 

Grandpa Tobirama. 

I still couldn’t believe that this was actually my life now. I keep thinking that I’m going to wake up any second and realize that it was all a dream….But it isn’t. 

And that’s the crazier thing. 

All my life I went by Naruto Uzumaki. That was my name. 

I was an orphan from the day I was born. I had no-one. No family, let alone a Clan. So unlike the non-orphan children I couldn’t learn who I was from my family. I had to decide who Naruto Uzumaki was for myself. 

Ever since I was about two years old people had called me a monster. A mistake. 

Getting into the Academy I found myself receiving a bunch of new nicknames. Loser. Failure. Defective. 

I worked hard day and night to prove them all wrong. 

I grew up proudly declaring myself as Naruto _Uzumaki_ , and that I (Naruto _Uzumaki_ ) would be Hokage one day. 

I made the name Naruto Uzumaki mean something.

Then in one day everything was turned on its head. 

To realize that you are actually related to four of the five Hokage and not genetic trash went against everything anyone had ever said about me. 

To make things even more confusing I was also the heir of the Senju clan. 

Of course just because I wasn’t genetic trash didn’t mean I still wasn’t a ‘failure’. I was still the Dead-Last at the Academy even with my prestigious bloodline. 

I was _still_ Naruto Uzumaki even though I’m _now_ (apparently) Naruto _Senju_. 

I already knew who I was. 

Now I have everyone telling me that I’m actually Naruto _Senju._

I don’t know how to be a Senju. I don’t know how to be _Naruto Senju_. Was I supposed to be some talented leader? 

I grew up as Naruto Uzumaki. That is who I am…Right? 

At this point I wasn’t sure.

'What I do know is that I have to find Grandpa Tobirama' I thought.

**(Naruto’s Clone’s POV)**

It had taken a long time, but thankfully with Grandpa Tobirama's tips I finally mastered both the leaf and waterfall cutting exercises, so now I could start actually learning some wind style techniques!

It was a bit irritating that Grandpa Tobirama had me go through all the steps in elemental training before I could start learning some new jutsu, but I understood why (After he explained it of course but still!). Starting from the beginning allows a more fluid mastery, especially for people like me who have more than one main affinity that could interfere with the training. 

“Alright. I already showed you the hand signs for the Wind style: Breakthrough technique. Focus on the chakra gathering in your stomach, bring it up through your esophagus, and exhale it out through your mouth” Clone Grandpa Tobirama instructed. I nodded. 

“Alright! Let’s do this!” I shouted excitedly, quickly going through the hand signs. 

Just as he said I felt the chakra building up in my stomach. I allowed the energy to flow upwards and sucked in a huge breath. 

'Wind style: Breakthrough!' I shouted mentally, blowing out with everything I had. 

A large blast of air funneled its was out of my mouth, rocketing towards the tree trunk in front of me. The resulting impact caused some of the bark to break off the tree.

“Yeah, yeah! I did it! It actually worked!” I shouted in glee, hopping from one foot to another. 

The nine other ragged Clones joined me in my victory dance. 

“Excellent job. I think it’s time we called it a day” Clone Grandpa Tobirama congratulated. 

“Huh? Why?” all us Naruto Clones asked in tandem. 

“You have made excellent progress today thanks to the Shadow Clone jutsu. There is no need to overexert yourself” Clone Grandpa Tobirama explained. 

“Oh come on! Just a little more practice! Please!” I begged.

"Pllleeeaassssee" the other Clone Me's joined in.

The Clone Grandpa Tobirama sighed. 

“Fine. If you complete the Wind style: Breakthrough technique perfectly again I will teach you another wind jutsu” he caved. 

“Alright, now we’re talking!” my fellow Clones and I shouted in glee.

I couldn’t wait until we finally started training with my Wood release! Clone Grandpa Tobirama said that in order to use Wood release I have to have a particular balance of water release in one hand, and earth release in the other, all combined with yang release. But unfortunately I still have to learn water and earth release before that could happen. 

And how would I combine it with yang release?

Grandpa Tobirama said it felt like drawing on an internal life, heat, and energy from your core...

As I was stuck in my own thoughts I gathered my elemental chakra in my hands once more in order to try the Breakthrough technique again. Although when I made the hand signs something felt…different. 

Instead of a swirling energy in my stomach I felt a swirling energy around my skin. 

“Naruto wait!” 

But it was too late. 

As I released the energy around me a vortex of wind momentarily surrounded me. 

Then, as soon as it happened the energy broke apart, dispersing the vortex around me.

**(Tobirama’s clone’s POV)**

“What…was that?” Naruto’s Clone asked slowly, obviously confused about what had happened. 

“Unbelievable” I muttered. 

“What is?” a Clone asked, “What happened?” 

Not for the first time I had to grit my teeth in frustration. If Naruto had been born back when my Elder Brother and I were still among the living he would have been treated as nothing short of a prodigy. 

The boy possessed _three_ kekkei genkai.

Three! Two of which would have been discovered no later than age of five within the Senju clan. But because Naruto was so isolated, and the clan was now almost non-existent there was no one recognize the signs of him possessing both of the Senju clan’s bloodline traits. 

And as if two kekkei genkai wasn’t enough he somehow inherited the Typhoon release kekkei genkai of the Namikaze clan from his father as well (And possibly yet another kekkei genkai if the stars on his chakra card were any indication, though I was still racking my brain on how).

Chakra reserves larger than most jonin, an aptitude for traps and higher level ninjutsu, a natural proclivity for speed and unpredictability, and interestingly enough my knack for creating new techniques. He possessed my fighting style with my brother’s kekkei genkai and potential for senjutsu. 

In short his abilities were an unusual combination of myself and my brother. And that wasn’t even fully getting into the Uzumaki or Namikaze parts of him. I definitely needed to see if he had any aptitude with fuinjutsu. 

'Just what is he?' I wondered in awe, 'His level of potential was practically off the charts!'

“Come on already! Don’t leave me hanging here. What happened?!” Naruto’s Clone shouted once more. 

“You have another kekkei genkai inherited by the members of the Namikaze clan. The Typhoon Release kekkei genkai” I bluntly revealed to him.

“…What?”

**(Sakura’s POV)**

“It is fortunate that you decided to apprentice under Lady Tsunade. Your medical training will definitely assist you in your training with me” Ibiki-sensei commented as I finished up hitting each of the targets on the practice dummies. 

“I’m sorry Sensei, but how? Healing people and torturing them are totally different” I asked curiously. 

“The Intelligence Division is far more than just torture and interrogation. We have medics in our Division as well who deal solely in gathering information from corpses” Ibiki-sensei corrected. 

“As for how the two interconnect…Tell me. Just where are those strike points located in the human body?” Ibiki-sensei asked me, pointing to each of the targets. 

Giving the practice dummies a more critical eye I thought back to all the anatomy textbooks Lady Tsunade started having me read. 

Then it hit me like a freight train.

“Eight points. Larynx. Spine. Lungs. Liver. Jugular. Subclavian artery. Kidneys. Heart” I recited, thinking back to our first ‘C’-ranked mission. 

“It appears that you are remembering something other than words out of a textbook” Ibiki-sensei observed. 

I nodded slowly. 

“During our mission to the Land of Waves Zabuza said those exact words to us” I admitted. 

“Zabuza Momochi was a skilled assassin so that isn’t a surprise. All ANBU possess some degree of knowledge on the human body in order to more effectively perform assassinations. Medics have a better understanding of the human body than anyone, making them some of the most potentially dangerous people. However, most medical ninja do not use their medical abilities to the fullest in a fight. That’s where I come in. I’m going to show you how to use your medical knowledge to the fullest” Ibiki-sensei declared. 

I nodded warily at his words. 

“So...what’s next?” I asked him. 

“Next will be another psychological training exercise” Ibiki-sensei said.

“I understand that you are more on the modest side, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, as a shinobi there will come a time where you may need to use your charm and sexual appeal to gather intel. If you are not comfortable in your own skin your will not be able to fool your target” Ibiki-sensei stated. 

“Oh! I remember learning about this in Kunoichi Class at the Academy. As kunoichi we have to be able to blend in with the area we are in and assimilate the cultural norm for there as well right?” I asked. 

Ibiki-sensei sighed. 

“That is a part of it yes. However, unlike what is taught at the Academy, seduction, and information gathering using such methods is not gender specific” he explained, sounding a tad exasperated. 

“What do you mean?” I asked him confused. 

“Use your head!” Ibiki-sensei shouted sharply, causing me to flinch at his reprimand.

“Men need to be trained just as much as women in the area of seduction. If a situation arises for it on a mission and there are no women on the squad who do you think has to complete the task?” Ibiki-sensei asked (demanded). 

“Now I get it, they can use the Transformation jutsu!” I answered.

“Exactly. And the same principle applies for males as it does for women. If men are not comfortable in their own skin they will not be able to pull off gathering intel. It’s the same for anybody trying to impersonate someone with a Transformation jutsu. It’s not just about looking like the person, it’s acting like them too” Ibiki-sensei lectured. 

'Like how Sasuke immediately caught onto how that Rain ninja wasn’t Naruto' I thought. 

“Your blonde teammate is actually the perfect example of how a male should be trained in the act of seduction” Ibiki-sensei mentioned off-handedly. 

“HUH!?” I said loudly. 

“Naruto has no problem using the form of a naked woman to get what he wants. I’d go as far as to argue that in some ways he’s more comfortable in his Sexy jutsu form then his everyday one” Ibiki-sensei explained, sounding mildly amused at my reaction.

Naruto…is better at seduction than me. 

That…was definitely a disturbing thought. I always considered his Sexy jutsu to be a joke, but from what Ibiki-sensei said it sounds like that might not actually be the case. 

“Unfortunately gender bias still exists at the Academy no matter how many times I complain. Even now-days sexuality is still a hush-hush topic we shouldn’t be ‘tainting’ our children’s impressionable minds with” Ibiki-sensei scoffed sarcastically. 

“I’m sorry Sensei. Now I’m really confused. What do you mean by ‘tainting’ our minds?” I asked. 

“Sakura, what do you think of same-sex couples?” he asked me. 

“Same-sex couples? As in romantic ones?” I questioned, just to make sure I was clear on what he was asking. 

“Yes” he said exasperatedly. 

“Well, what’s there to think about? It’s just two people in love right?” I answered. 

“Indeed. Though many would disagree with you” he said. 

“What? Why?” I demanded. 

“Think about it from a different perspective. Say, the sole heir of a dying Clan was homosexual” Ibiki-sensei stated. 

“Wh–Wait are you saying its taboo or something?” I questioned aghast.

“Think about it. Outside civilians exactly how many non-heterosexual people have you heard of coming from a Clan?” he asked me. 

“I uh…” I said trailing off to try and recall anyone who fit that description, only to come up blank. 

“Exactly. You can’t. Love is love. That in itself isn’t the issue. The issue is the preservation of bloodlines. As such, anything that prevents children from being born and the continuation of the Clan’s future is looked down upon” Ibiki-sensei stated bluntly. 

“But that’s so…wrong” I said upset at the injustice of it. 

“It is. And I’m not saying every Clan does things the same way. Larger more established Clans will allow individuals their freedom of sexuality as the Clan is not in immediate danger of extinction. However, the older generations had feared that having both sexes take classes in seduction would cause an increase in non-heterosexuals. At the time Clans were still recovering from the Clan Purges so they feared the future number of childbirths would be in jeopardy. They were completely false in their presumptions, but the effects still linger today. Hence the so called Kunoichi Classes” Ibiki-sensei lectured. 

“Can’t you talk to Lord Tobirama about it or something? According to my Father the Academy’s been going through some major educational renovations” I recommended.

“Hm. Perhaps I will. But first, take off your shirt” he demanded. 

“What!? Why?!” I asked, clutching my shirt in mortification. 

“We got off on this little tangent talking about how you need to feel comfortable in your own skin. I’m not asking you to strip naked, just to take off your shirt. Trust me when I say you have nothing I haven’t seen before. The point of the exercise is to make it so in case your shirt gets ripped open during a fight you won’t let it distract you and get yourself killed” he stated, looking at me with an unwavering glare. 

Reluctantly I slipped off my shirt, and was left only in my single-strap black tube-top with the mesh bottom covering my stomach. 

“Good. Now you will remain like that for the remainder of our lesson” Ibiki-sensei said, “The final thing we will be going over is your genjutsu skills and your kekkei genkai”

I nodded, still too mortified to speak any coherent words.

“You are skilled with visual illusions. However, your kekkei genkai focuses on illusions within the mind instead of outside it. I personally specialize in going after my opponents psychologically with genjutsu, which coincidentally makes me the most qualified to help your learn more about your kekkei genkai” he stated confidently. 

I couldn’t help the tingle of excitement that went up my spine at the thought of unlocking more about my kekkei genkai. 

“First I will teach you a simple genjutsu in order to start working you up so that it will be easier for you to create your own techniques” Ibiki-sensei stated, “The technique is called Emotion Projection. It is a D-rank technique that allows you to project an emotion or feeling onto your opponent. Depending on the emotion and its strength one can even go as far as to cause the affected individual to commit suicide”

I tried not to visibly pale at his words. 

“Can you guess how an outcome such as that may occur?” he asked me. 

“I-if you project a strong enough emotion of sadness, loneliness, or despair?” I answered. 

“Correct. Any jutsu, no matter how basic, can be used for devastating results is used properly. After I show you the hand signs you will test the technique on myself. Understand?” he instructioned.

“Yes sir”

**(Sasuke’s POV)**

“This bitch is insane!” I thought irrately as I dodged another one of Anko's Fire style: Flaming Serpent techniques. 

Just then a current of electricity surged near me. Focusing lightning chakra into my hand I used it as a conductor to redirect the attack. 

“Not bad. You’re getting even better with using your Sharingan to anticipate our attacks” Kakashi said monotone, though not sounding overly impressed. 

“Humph that was just a warm up. He may have proven he’s capable of analyzing moments and copying techniques, but that’s all be can do. He’s hardly using those eyes of his to their fullest extent” Anko corrected with a scoff. 

I growled in frustration at her. 

“Then stop wasting my time! You’re supposed to be training me right?” I accused, glaring at her full force. 

The purple haired kunoichi glared at me sharply with a look that promised pain. 

“Listen here you entitled, spoiled brat! You better get rid of that superiority complex of yours or else one day you’re gonna die alone in a ditch somewhere because nobody wanted to come to your aid! Right now you’re a genin. Gen-in. Prodigy or not your skills are still nothing next to a jonin. I was testing you to see how long your patience would hold out. And guess what? You failed. If you want to get stronger than maybe you should try being respectful. Then people might be more inclined to help you” Anko lectured bitingly.

I grit my teeth at her words, not wanting the possible truth of that statement. 

“Well, now that that bit of insight has been flushed out, let’s get to work on your genjutsu skills shall we?” Kakashi stated nonchalantly. 

“Fine” I said shortly. 

“All the better chance for me to drive some manners into that duck-ass shaped head of his” Anko said, smirking devilishly.

“Bring it on” I challenged right back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped you all liked the insight into Sasuke's mentality!
> 
> Each of Team 7 is being trained very differently from each other. I hope you all liked the information revealed during each of their training sessions!


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> Got a new chapter for ya!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

It has been a week since I started training Naruto, and so far I was very pleased with his progress. 

As of right now Naruto’s ninjutsu arsenal now included the Wind Style: Breakthrough, Wind Style: Gale palm, Water Style: Wild Water Wave, Water Style Bullet: Orca, and Earth Style: Practice Brick. 

Soon we would be able to start working on his two elemental kekkei genkai after I teach him some of the elemental techniques of the Clan. 

But first, Naruto earned a well deserved day off from training. 

Which he was spending his time on creating a garden within the open area of the Compound. Something about it being too bare and boring and needing flowers to brighten the place up. 

It truly is a wonder how Naruto isn’t Hashirama’s great-grandson rather than mine. My elder brother had said nearly those exact words once our new Clan Compound had been built here. 

And just like my elder brother Naruto seemed to be at his most calm while tending to the plants. 

Taking advantage of the peace I focused on meditating. Calming my mind and sorting through the events of the last few days.

To say I rained hellfire upon my former subordinates after learning how they altered the Chunin Exam when they allowed foreign ninja to compete would be an understatement.

There were plenty of testing alternatives that could be done to include foreign shinobi that didn't include a potentially and unnecessarily high fatality count.

It didn't surprise me in the least when Danzo claimed responsibility for the direction the Exam had taken.

What _was_ surprising was how well he'd been able to defend his choices.

_"We are no longer at war. Genin are by rank stymied from going on higher risk and information sensitive missions. So how else will the genin-hopefuls experience the realities of the life of a Chunin if not during the Exam itself? How else can we test them to be sure they have the leadership, responsibility, and skills necessary for the position if we do not test them for the exact realities they will face? Is it a risk to lose young prospective talents? Yes. But no more dangerous than the missions they will be facing daily as a Chunin. The average participation age of our Genin are within the mid to late teens if not older. Selection for the Exam falls to the Jonin sensei in charge of the squad. So regardless of the lack of age restriction it is ultimately up to them to decide whether they want to include their squad in the Exam, knowing just how dangerous it is. So while the Exam may not be perfect, all the Genin are given waivers to sign that they understand that there is a risk of death involved, and they are fully encouraged not to participate if they are not comfortable with that risk. But the possibility of death is the reality of shinobi life no matter the rank, coddling holds no benefit in strengthening military forces"_

Killing emotion with logic.

And I had a sinking feeling that I was strongly indirectly to blame for Danzo's use of logic to justify his actions and underhandedness.

And while Danzo had not been necessarily wrong, there were still other viable options that could simulate similar scenarios without including the use of fatal force.

What was scarier was seeing how Homura and Koharu gained more and more confidence in their position as Danzo spoke. I didn't like how much sway Danzo seemed to have on them, and the government as a whole.

There was (more than) enough evidence to suggest that Danzo just goes ahead and does whatever he feels is best for the Village, behind Saru's back or not.

He was the reason behind Naruto being used as a scapegoat for the Villager's hatred after all.

And with the possibility of a Civil War against Root I need to make sure Naruto was strong enough to survive.

While his ninjutsu arsenal is growing at a steady rate, and the kinks were being worked out of his taijutsu and education, there was something else I wanted to teach Naruto. 

The Senju Style Kenjutsu: Distortion Field. 

None of the currently living Senju used the style anymore. 

Jiraiya may have said that Naruto wasn’t as adept in space-time ninjutsu, but I wanted to teach it to him so that our family’s famed kenjutsu art would not die out. 

“Naruto” I said, getting the blonde’s attention, “We have a few errands to run. Get yourself cleaned up and ready in a half an hour”

“Sure! No problem!” Naruto shouted back, clapping some dirt off of his hands. 

But before I could settle back into my trance he spoke again.

“Hey do you mind if we make a quick stop somewhere else too?” Naruto asked.

**(Ino’s POV)**

“Yamanaka Flowers. How may I be of assistance?” I called out after hearing our door-bell ring. 

“Hey Ino! I was wondering if you had any more daffodils I could buy off ya?” Naruto asked, bounding into the Shop with, if the rumors were to be believed, the former Second Hokage. 

“Wow! You went through all of the flowers already?” I asked him in surprise. 

“No just the daffodils. I’m not finished planting yet, but so far the flowers you helped me pick out are looking awesome!” Naruto declared happily. 

“Well naturally of course. I picked them out. But let’s see here…Exactly how many more daffodils do you think you’ll need?” I asked him, pulling up our in-stock counter. 

“Only five” Naruto replied, placing his arms behind his head. 

“Well that makes things easy” I said, “You can take’m off the shelf over there”

“Great!” Naruto said going over to the rack he needed. 

'If I told anyone that Naruto actually had a green thumb I don’t think anyone would actually believe it. Even with all the stuff he’s been showing off lately' I thought humorously, eyeing the reactions between Naruto and Lord Second carefully. 

“Get all the daffodils you needed?” I asked him as he bounded back up to the counter and handed me the money. 

“You betcha! Now I just have a few more errands to run. See ya later Ino!” Naruto called out as he exited the store, slowly down a few steps to walk alongside the former Hokage.

From what I’ve been overhearing with my Dad when I've visited the Intelligence Division something big was going down. And I can’t help but wonder just how involved Naruto really is with it all?

And it wasn't just the hushed whispers going around the Intelligence Division either.

There were some interesting rumors going around the Village by way of civilian mouth.

And with the amount of chatty women that always come into the Shop I knew of every rumor _and_ their origins.

Which meant that I could confidently hypothesize that a single source was intentionally spreading around information about Naruto for a purpose. 

What purpose I wasn't sure, but my Father wasn't happy about it.

'Maybe Shikamaru knows something. He'll have a theory at least' I thought, going back to my trimming.

**(Tenten’s POV)**

I sighed in boredom. 

The shop has been vacant of customers all day, which meant that I’ve been stuck manning the front desk. 

There were so many other better things I could be doing with my time right now (Like training!). But there was no way my parents would ever allow me to ‘shirk’ my duties like that. 

I sighed again. This time in annoyance. 

“Got somewhere better to be?” I heard my Dad’s voice call out from atop one of the shelving racks. 

“Not really” I said unenthusiastically. 

“Then perk up! You’re a saleswoman remember? It’s all in the attitude” my father exclaimed, heading into the back room. 

“Yeah, yeah I got it” I muttered, sitting up onto my elbows. 

Times like these make me I wish that I hadn’t come from a ‘pure’ civilian family. To say my parents didn’t understand what being a shinobi meant was an understatement. 

Suddenly the bell on our front door rang as two people stepped inside. 

“Welcome to Nerves of Steel weapons shop. How can I help you?” I called out, hoping whoever the customer was they’d alleviate some of my boredom. 

“Oh hey Tenten! I didn’t know you worked here” a familiar voice rang out.

“Naruto? What’re you doing here?” I said, blinking in surprise. 

“Grandpa Tobirama says I need some plated arm guards and a sword” he said casually. 

“Grandpa…Tobirama…EH! Grandpa! He’s your Grandpa!?” I shouted in shock, pointing between the former Second Hokage and Naruto. 

“Naruto” Lord Tobirama said warningly. 

Whoop. Judging from that tone I guess I wasn’t supposed to know that. 

“It’s okay! I trust Tenten. She won’t say anything. Right?” Naruto declared, giving me a confident look. 

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Honestly, he was just like Lee and Guy-sensei. 

“If it’s supposed to be some kind of secret I won’t say anything” I answered truthfully, waving a dismissive hand.

“See?! Told you” Naruto stated, crossing his arms behind his head. 

“You said you were here for a sword and arm guards?” I questioned him, bringing his attention back to the reason he was here. 

“Yes. If you would be so kind as to show us your selection” Lord Tobirama requested. 

“Sure” I said, walking around the front desk to lead them to our sword section. 

“What kind of sword are you looking for?” I asked them. 

“Something lightweight but durable” Lord Tobirama answered. 

“So a flexible katana meant for speed and agility” I muttered, more to myself than them. 

“That is correct” Lord Tobirama answered anyway. 

“Then your best bet would be one of these” I said, pointing the the racks above me, “Feel free to test them out, just try not to break anything”

“Very well” Lord Tobirama said. 

It didn’t take long for Naruto to choose his new sword. A katana with a blue hilt. 

It was still a little weird that he was buying a sword at all. Naruto always had more of a brawling style. 

Then again, all of Team 7 had been here within the last few days. Sasuke had bought arm guards and a black hilted sword, and Sakura had gotten gloved arm guards and a red hilted standard ANBU tanto. 

Frankly it was more surprising to see her with Ibiki than it was seeing her buy a tanto. 

Team 7 really were an outta the box squad, even where my squad was concerned. But in the end they were free to do as they pleased. 

As they paid for their items and left, I couldn’t help but ponder just what else about the blonde none of us knew. 

The familyless loser was apparently a ‘genius of hard work’ from a Clan. That just goes to show you really can’t judge a book by its cover. 

Of course I wasn’t one to talk. I come from a long line of weapons crafters who ended up settling in the Village not long after its founding. Even with my family’s long history of working with shinobi no-one had ever actually become one. 

Until me that is.

I huffed out a long drawn out sigh. 

My family held strong to the belief that shinobi were a necessary evil in the world. But that they were just that, evil.

To them, shinobi lacked honor and a moral code, doing whatever job they are paid no matter how horrible it is. Which is why when I decided to join the Ninja Academy my family began to treat me like a pariah. 

They either avoided me or insulted me outright, and my parents never stopped trying to convince me to quit. Citing examples going from the odds of someone from a completely civilian family actually graduating and being successful, to how shinobi were murderers. 

It only got worse when my younger cousin decided to follow in my footsteps and join the Academy as well. Now my family were accusing me of poisoning my cousin’s mind, and because of that I’m no longer allowed around the rest of my younger relatives for fear that I will ‘corrupt’ them too.

Honestly, people could be so close-minded and stubborn. 

Of course when I defied the social odds and graduated it only made me that much more determined to be a strong kunoichi like Tsunade. 

When I had first learned about her in class she immediately became my idol. A kickass woman who crushed even men with her taijutsu, and was hailed as a savior during the Second War due to her prowess in medical ninjutsu. So after I graduated I immediately had my heart set on being just like her. 

However, it quickly became apparent that I had no talent for medical ninjutsu. And while I trained in hand-to-hand combat like the rest of my squad I wasn’t a physical powerhouse like Lee (or Tsunade), and I didn’t have a Clan taijutsu style like Neji did. 

But I did know weapons. So I decided to start training more with them. 

Eventually I chose to specialize as a mid-long range style fighter in order to balance out my close range team better.

Even still, my perfect aim meant nothing to a kunoichi like Temari. Being on a strictly taijutsu team I hadn’t experienced too much in the way of larger, more powerful ninjutsu. Lee couldn’t use it, the Hyuga pride typically prevented most of them from using ninjutsu in a fight, and I had never seen Guy-sensei use ninjutsu other than to summon Ningame. So it never occurred to me that someone (let alone a genin) could block all my weapons with an elemental technique like that. 

That fight showed me that just knowing how to fight in close combat with my weapons or barraging a bunch of them at my opponent wasn’t a good enough skill set to have. Temari had rendered all my skills useless within seconds, and I didn’t have any other jutsu to serve as a backup in case something like that happened. On the battlefield things like that were what got you killed. 

I had no ninjutsu other than the basic summoning, unsealing, and enclosing techniques. I couldn’t even release genjutsu. Even though I had noticed the illusion cast on the arena if it weren’t for Neji I would have slept through the entire Invasion!

But all that was going to change! This time I was going to make sure I focused on all of my skills as a ninja, not just my taijutsu. I’ll show my family that I _am_ strong enough to be a shinobi, and that I will bring _honor_ to our family name rather than the shame they look at me with. 

Being a shinobi did not automatically make you a monster. And even though I wasn’t going to be a kunoichi just like Lady Tsunade, I will become a well-known and strong kunoichi in my own right!

**(Naruto’s POV)**

“So when are gonna get started? I can’t wait to try out the new sword you got me!” I asked him excitedly. 

It was the second best gift anyone has ever given me. The first being Iruka-sensei's headband. 

“Tomorrow. Remember, resting your body is just as important as training. Even if you do heal faster than most people your body still needs time to recuperate” Grandpa Tobirama reminded me in his 'lecture' voice. 

“Yeah yeah I got it” I said pouting. 

Taking a quick scan of my surroundings I noticed that people were mostly avoiding looking at me all-together now. That had started happening more and more as I started going out in public with Grandpa Tobirama. People were no longer glaring at me with hate, but rather an uneasy wariness or curiosity. 

Grandpa Tobirama had effectively turned himself into a giant security blanket. So long as he was in my vicinity no one dared to kick me out of their store or overcharge me. 

“It’s so weird shopping without using a Transformation jutsu” I muttered. Of course Grandpa Tobirama still heard me. 

“You shouldn’t have needed to use a Transformation jutsu to shop within your own Village at all” he said bluntly, a hint of bitterness wafted off his form.

I just gave him a non-committal noise in response. 

“Hey Naruto-nichan! Wait up!” a voice shouted out. 

I turned around at the familiar call. And sure enough it was my three cute little apprentices. 

“Hey guys! What’ve you been up to?” I asked with a giant smile on my face. 

“We’ve been super busy helping fix up the Academy!” Konohamaru said just as excitedly as he bound up in front of me. 

“Yeah! Classes only started up again a little over a week ago but some repairs still need to be finished” Moegi explained.

“It was cool seeing the math the architects had to do for all the designs though” Udon added in. 

“Glad to see you guys are doing your best to help out” I praised. 

“You bet!” Konohamaru said proudly. 

“Why am I not surprised to see that Naruto was the reason the three of you took off so quickly” Gramps said with a chuckle. The Closet Pervert choosing to stand silently behind the Old Man. 

“Hey Gramps” I greeted. 

“Naruto. I’m assuming you’ve been hard at work training?” he stated expectantly. 

“You bet I have!” I proudly declared. 

“Hey Naruto-nichan who’s he?” Konohamaru asked, pointing at Grandpa Tobirama. 

“Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce you guys. This is Tobirama Senju, the former Second Hokage. Uh, Lord Tobirama this Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon” I said awkwardly. 

I wasn’t quite sure how I was supposed to introduce him to others if I couldn’t say our relations.

“Whoa! No way! So the rumors that you came back from the dead are true!” Konohamaru shouted excitedly, stars sparkling in his eyes. 

“Yup. He’s been helping me with my training this past week” I told them. 

“Whoa that means you’re even more awesome now Boss! You need to train with us today! Come on, come on!” Konohamaru pleaded. 

“Konohamaru. Naruto might be in the middle of some important training he needs to get done” Gramps lightly chastised. 

“Sorry” the three of them mimed together, looking incredibly bummed out. 

“Actually, today’s my day off. So if you want I can help with your training now” I offered. 

“Really!” Konohamaru shouted in glee. 

“You’re the best Boss” Moegi declared, and Udon just silently hopped in joy. 

“Alright! To training ground three!” I shouted, jumping atop the roofs above us. 

Sure enough, the tell-tale sound of feet clattered after me, the Konohamaru Corps following my every step like baby ducklings.

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

When a trio of children came over to us calling Naruto their ‘brother’ and ‘Boss’ I couldn’t help but silently observe the encounter between them. 

The trio of Academy students clearly idolized Naruto. They were even wearing similar goggles to the one I saw Naruto packing away at the Compound. Even more interestingly the boy, Konohamaru, had the chakra of a Sarutobi, and the girl, Moegi, had the chakra of a Senju. 

When Saru and another shinobi came upon our group it made me wonder if the young boy was closely related to him. 

When Naruto had taken off with the three kids it left me a little surprised to see how taken Naruto was to being a mentor since school had not been his forte. The shinobi, whose name I did not know, followed quickly after them. 

“Fate works in strange ways” Saru mused as the two of us headed over to the third training ground at a more leisurely pace. 

“Hm. How so?” I asked him. 

“Homura and Koharu may have chosen to use your descendent as a scapegoat, but in an interesting twist of fate Naruto ended up the teacher of his own version of Team Tobirama” Saru said with a sly smirk.

“His own...Then those three children are?” 

“Konohamaru Sarutobi, Moegi Kazamatsuri, and Udon Ise. Konohamaru is my grandson, Moegi is Koharu’s granddaughter, and Udon is Homura’s grandson” Saru stated. 

My eyes widened in surprise, before I started chuckling at the irony. 

“The three of them were raised together. When Konohamaru declared Naruto as his Boss, rival, and older brother Moegi and Udon naturally came to see him as such too. Interestingly after Naruto started training them their ninjutsu skills did improve” Saru explained. 

'Fate works in strange ways' I thought. 

“Seeing the looks of astonishment on their faces when I told them who had apprenticed the trio was admittedly some of the best karma the world could have ever dished out” Saru said with a devious chuckle. 

“Well, I’m interested to see Naruto in a different setting” I said as we stepped onto the training grounds. 

Following my senses we decided to stand on the outskirts of the area they were training in, so as to give them some space to themselves. From what I could gather of their conversation they were discussing how to create their own techniques.

“Maybe you can create your own techniques with something you like to do” Naruto suggested. 

“I like math, but you can’t really use that with ninjutsu” Udon said glumly. 

“Maybe you can. You don’t know until you try” Naruto declared encouragingly. 

“But how would that even work Boss?” Konohamaru questioned. 

“I don’t know. I’ve never created any techniques from scratch before. Hm” Naruto said contemplatively. 

“You can’t really fight with math Boss. All you can do is write it on a piece of paper or something” Konohamaru pointed out. 

“That’s it!” Naruto shouted, almost making everyone jump at the suddenness of it. 

“What’s _it_?” Moegi asked curiously. 

“You can write it on stuff like a seal” Naruto declared. 

My eyes widened in realization. 

“A seal? You mean like fuinjutsu?” Udon asked. 

“Exactly. Back during our mission to get Grandma Tsunade Pervy Sage took out a scroll and wrote out a sealing jutsu right there. Maybe you could do the same thing with math. Like, write it out like a seal and use it that way” Naruto stated. 

Unbelievable. He just hypothesized the foundations of a never before used ninjutsu in less than five minutes!

“Wow really!?” Udon shouted in excitement. 

“Dumby. Even if you figure it out, what good would it be in a fight?” Konohamaru said. 

“Hey! I may suck at math, but even I know that it’s a huge part of being a shinobi” Naruto countered. 

“What’d you mean Boss?” Moegi asked confused. 

“I mean think about it. Figuring out how much muscle you need to throw your kunai, the distance, speed, and accuracy of it. You even need to think about how the wind can affect your aim. The point of training constantly is to learn to do all that without thinking about it. It’s all math, but no one ever calls it that” Naruto says intelligently. 

‘Guess he learned more than I thought he did during our educational sessions’ I mused appreciatively. 

“Wow I never thought about it that way” Moegi stated impressed. 

“Wow Boss since when did you get so smart?” Konohamaru asked in awe. 

“Why you little! For your information Iruka-sensei says that to all his students, so if you don’t know that then you’re not paying attention in class!” Naruto shouted in comical anger. 

The trio just chuckled shamefully.

“Besides you guys are still academy students. You’ve still got some time to figure it out. Right now you need to continue working on mastering the basic jutsu. Though I would say maybe start researching fuinjutsu a bit more for you Udon” Naruto suggested. 

“What about me Boss?” Moegi asked hopefully. 

“Same thing. Do you have anything you particularly like studying?” Naruto asked. 

“Well, I think the new barrier jutsu stuff we need to learn is kinda cool” Moegi said. 

‘So my reforms were already making an impact’ I thought proudly, ‘Though I will definitely have to discuss the girl’s heritage with her parents and Koharu at some point soon’

“Then there you go!” Naruto said. 

“But aren’t barriers only good for trapping or defense?” Konohamaru asked. 

“Konohamaru, Rule Number One of Being a Prankster: The only limit is your imagination. As a shinobi you gotta get creative sometimes. If you run out of kunai you can’t just tell your opponent ‘Hold on a sec I gotta pick up my kunai’. Fights don’t work like that. Back when the Shadow Clone jutsu was my only real technique I found different ways to use it so that I could face my enemies without just charging at them head on all the time. If one solution doesn’t work than find another way. If you like barrier jutsu Moegi than go for it! I’m sure you’ll come up with a killer way to use them in a fight” Naruto said supportively. 

“Thanks Boss!” Moegi said appreciatively.

“I’m starting to think more of our children should be encouraged to be pranksters if being one taught Naruto this much” I deadpanned. 

Saru just laughed from his position next to me. 

“Now you know my frustration at nobody in the Academy noticing Naruto’s true potential when he was younger” Saru stated. 

“Yes. It truly is a shame” a voice said. 

Looking over to my right I saw that it was the shinobi from earlier. 

“My apologies. I am Ebisu Kenji. Special jonin and the tutor for the trio you are observing” the shinobi said introducing himself.

**(Ebisu’s POV)**

I stood off to the side as I observed the boy I had at one time called the Nine-tails Brat. 

Thinking on my previous actions I still could not believe my own abhorrent behavior. 

Back then I had believed that it was blood and heritage that determines how far one could go as a shinobi. 

Clan-born, Shinobi Family, Civilian-born, and ‘Pure’ Civilian-born. Everyone upon entry into the Academy fell into one of these categories. 

Clan-borns came from an established family of shinobi with either an inheritable kekkei genkai or hiden techniques that could be passed down. They usually had the most chakra starting out in the Academy and more than likely had already received some measure of training from their family. 

Those that came from a Shinobi Family were similar to the Clan-borns minus the kekkei genkai or hiden techniques. Your family was not considered a clan, but pretty much all of the members were now shinobi rather than civilians. A Shinobi Family could even become a clan if genetic traits were found and/or hiden techniques were created. 

Civilian-borns were those who came from a mostly civilian background with the exception of maybe one or two of their relatives being a shinobi. If you were in one of the first three categories you would be mostly fine in the Academy. 

But for ‘Pure’ Civilian-borns, you had nobody in your family to help train you on how to be a ninja, and your base chakra level was probably almost non-existent and unused. If you were from a ‘Pure’ Civilian-born family it was almost guaranteed that you wouldn’t graduate.

I was a ‘Pure’ Civilian-Born.

Back when I was young I had entered the Academy during a time of war. Because of our rapidly depleting forces more than the typical number of initiates were allowed to graduate. Meaning that even someone from a ‘pure’ civilian family like me was able to become genin at a younger age. 

Like most ‘pure’ civilian-borns I did not have anyone in my family to train me, so textbooks became my go-to for everything. More than anything I wanted to be able to stand alongside my peers as a ninja. Some of my classmates teased me for being a textbook ninja, but I didn’t care. Nobody knew more about ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu styles, and shinobi theories than me. 

When I was placed on Team Choza my Sensei helped me with the physical aspects of being a shinobi. But because I didn’t have any clan jutsu I had to come up with my own style. As such I used my study habits to my advantage and my style became ‘learn more’. 

I aspired to be like those from a clan or Shinobi Family…But I wasn’t like them. 

I didn’t have a natural talent or a bloodline. No matter what I did I was never as strong as they were. Nor was I memorable. I was typical shinobi fodder.

When my squad had been deployed to stop a shipment of supplies going to the Mist during the war it was supposed to have been a lower risk mission. 

What we found was a trap. 

Surrounded by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, there was no way we were going to survive. 

And then, out of nowhere Might Dai appears with a green aura surrounding his person. 

If it wasn’t for his sacrifice the three of us would have died that day. 

Might Dai had been a failure by everyone’s standards. He was mockingly referred to as the ‘Eternal Genin’. He was a failure and yet he killed five of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. 

While that should have uplifted my hopes that I could be strong through effort it actually did the opposite. 

While Might Dai had been a ‘failure’, he was a ‘failure’ descended from what is now known as the Lee clan. 

It was then I decided that only the ones who possessed natural talent and potential, had it (logically) because of their blood ties. And because of their heritage they had a potential future because of it.

Over the years I taught myself several different kinds of taijutsu styles (even if I was still on the slower end). I managed to teach myself to use all five of the basic elements (even though I only knew 1 low level water and 1 low level wind technique), and I even taught myself to be proficient in genjutsu. 

One day I just happened to be passing by the Academy when I saw some students struggling with a technique they were practicing during their free-time. 

Seeing how hard they were training I decided to help them improve their jutsu. A teacher approached me afterwards and offered me a job working at the Academy as a tutor. After I accepted I found that I was good at it, that I _excelled_ at it. 

For the first time in my life I had a potential future. 

I used all of the knowledge I had complied on definitions, logic, facts, and statistics when I was tutoring, and somehow I ended up becoming the best personal trainer within the Village. 

Even though I did not have any pedigree I still was able to make something of myself. 

I was _somebody_.

But Naruto obliterated all that and showed me that I was missing key components in my teachings. 

Faith in oneself, determination, and hard work. 

Blood didn’t matter. There were no shortcuts in life no matter who you were. 

I was the best tutor in the Village and yet it was Naruto who taught those three lessons to my students. His charisma reached the drive I had failed to motivate in Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon. 

Where I had given up on my own dreams he never did. A lesson we all could do well to learn. 

Without realizing it Naruto had become our teacher and we the Village his students. And slowly but surely we are all learning his lessons.

As I overheard Lord Third comment on Naruto’s wasted potential in the Academy I couldn’t help but comment back.

“Yes. It truly is a shame”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Foreshadowing in Ino's scene for the next chapter ;)
> 
> I hope you liked how I did Tenten's background! I always hated that she wasn't fleshed out more!
> 
> And yes, I made Moegi a Senju because she can supposedly use wood release in Boruto... Skeptical of how the writers are going to explain that one, but this is how I'm explaining it in my work.
> 
> I fleshed Ebisu out a bit more as well just because his character is interesting in how he was effected by his encounters with Naruto.
> 
> Next chapter Tokio will be returning as well ;)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> I've got a long and involved chapter for you today!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Tokio’s POV)**

“Come on. We can spar in the Compound training area” I tell my teammates. 

“Are you sure about this? I mean, my Clan doesn’t allow outsiders into our Compound training area” Katsu Sarutobi skeptically inquired. 

“Yeah. Isn’t it supposed to be where only Clan members are trained in their family’s jutsu?” Mari Izumo questioned. 

“If we’re going to improve external Clan relations we’ve gotta start somewhere right? Don’t sweat the small details. I have permission anyway” I justified to them.

After a moment the two of them nodded, conceding to my reasoning and assurances.

Of course I was right!

Besides, there aren’t enough Senju-in-training right now for it to be a problem anyway.

And it _was_ a problem that would be remedied soon. 

As I led them to my Clan’s large open training area at the center of our Compound I heard the tell-tale clang of metal against metal. 

Immediately I jogged over to the end of the corridor and peered over the side of the wall. 

“Remember, a sword is not a kunai. It is to be treated as an extension of yourself” Lord Tobirama lectured as Naruto charged at him swinging his blade. 

The sound of clanging metal once again echoed through the corridors as the blonde attempted to defend himself against Lord Tobirama.

I forced myself to bite back a frustrated growl.

“So the rumors about him are true” Katsu whispered in amazement. 

I grit my teeth at his words. 

_“Naruto is the heir of this Clan”_

“So he really is a Senju then?” Mari asked, a curious note to her tone. 

_“You were completely disrespectful! Not only to a fellow clansman. Not only to our Clan Head. But to a human being!”_

Fury boiled my blood.

“From what I hear he’s the heir. Apparently the adults kept him hidden away for his own safety” Katsu said, reiterating the rumors that have been spreading around the Village like wildfire.

I clenched my fists. My nails digging into the plaster.

_“You will **formally** and **sincerely** apologize to Lady Tsunade, Lord Tobirama, and Naruto”_

_“No-”_

_“This is not a debate! You **will** apologize. And for your disrespect and slight you will be cleaning their quarters for a month!”_

_“W-”_

_“And if you glare, sneer, roll your eyes. If you say or express any form of disrespect as you clean your punishment will be far worse. Better yet say nothing at all if you have nothing kind to say. Understand?”_

“It doesn’t matter! He’s still a loser!” I whispered furiously, turning to glare at both of them.

“Dude. The last time we actually interacted with him was when he was like five or something. Cut the guy some slack. Heaven knows my younger cousins couldn’t do much at that age either” Katsu chastised.

“Yeah. You saw how he defeated that Hyuga prodigy right?” Mari pointed out, raising an eyebrow at me. 

“That was just dumb luck” I retorted through clenched teeth. 

“Dude I don’t know what your problem with him is, but you need to chill” Katsu said sternly. 

“Yeah. You can’t beat a Hyuga just by being lucky” Mari agreed, giving me a slight scoff. 

“Whatever. Let’s just go find somewhere else to train” I said, angrily walking back down the corridor we came from, not bothering to wait for them.

It wasn’t fair!

I was the one raised from practically birth to take over for my Father as Clan Head.

I was going to bring glory back to the Senju clan.

I trained myself hard so that I could show everyone that the Senju were still the strongest. That we still mattered. 

But I lost the rookie of the year title to Neji Hyuga. 

And nobody acknowledges second best. 

So I trained even harder so that I could make chunin in less than a year. 

But my stupid Sensei held us back so we could “gain more experience and grow as individuals”. 

Meanwhile Neji’s team competed with nine of this year’s Academy Rookies. 

I was pissed, but as the one who was most likely to succeed my Father as Head of the Clan I needed to learn how to deal with setbacks if I wanted to be an effective leader. 

Then that loser comes out of nowhere and suddenly takes _my_ place as heir. 

I don’t care whose great-grandson he is! He’s nothing but a mixed-blood mutt!

He knows _nothing_ of our Clan! Our traditions! The pressures of the name! 

I’m going to show everyone that removing me from the position as the Senju heir was a mistake. 

That I’m the one who’s truly fit to revive our culture! Not him!

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

It has been a week since I purchased the sword for Naruto, and he was improving remarkably fast even without using his Shadow Clones to spam-learn the basics of kenjutsu. 

I had insisted to Naruto that he figure out the style himself rather than using Clones to ‘cheat’ on his training. 

He still had a long way to go, but he was starting to get the basics down. 

For our kenjutsu training I decided that it would be best for the two of us to train within the Compound. 

Naruto needed to adjust to being around the rest of his family just as our fellow clansmen needed to get used to his presence around the Compound. 

While the adults were still wary of him the young children have made it a habit of watching Naruto and I spar in our kenjutsu matches. 

It was uplifting to see Naruto push himself just that little bit more whenever one of the little ones built up enough courage to cheer him on. It gave me hope that at least the younger generation would be accepting of him. 

The only person who hadn’t had any issue accepting Naruto at all was Moriko.

_*Flashback*_

_We had just washed up from our first day of training when a knock sounded upon the main doorway._

_“Come in” I announced._

_The door slid open to reveal a girl around fourteen with lightly tanned skin, long dark brown hair and brown eyes._

_‘Moriko’ I recalled._

_“Pardon the intrusion. I came to invite the two of you to dinner” Moriko said, sounding relaxed._

_I could feel Naruto tense up behind me._

_It had been a few days since Naruto’s introduction to the Clan and the two of us had yet to sit down and dine with the rest of the family._

_I had planned on bringing up the matter no later than another few days from now, but this was a good opportunity to jump right into the fire._

_Looking at my great-grandson I could see uncertainty in his eyes._

_“It would be impolite to decline such an invitation” I said, giving him a gentle nudge._

_“I don’t know if it’s such a good idea…I mean everyone’s still getting used to me being around ya know?” Naruto noted weakly._

_Moriko scoffed._

_“Who cares what they think. You are a member of this family. If they don’t like it then they’re just gonna have to put on their grown-up pants and deal with it” Moriko declared matter-of-factly._

_Naruto blinked at her in surprise._

_Then a wide smile grew on his lips._

_“Well then, how can I argue with that logic” Naruto said with a foxy grin, placing his arms behind his head._

_“So. What’s for dinner?”_

_*End Flashback*_

That first dinner had been awkward to say the least, but Naruto and I were now eating our meals with the rest of the Clan. 

It would take time, but I knew they would eventually accept Naruto. 

Speaking of acceptance, I had briefly felt Tokio’s chakra along with the chakra of a Sarutobi and Izumo. 

Tokio Senju was the one obstacle that left me pondering. I couldn’t help but wonder why it was that he had such an irrational hatred of Naruto? 

If it were merely about the position of heir then that would be easy enough to decipher, but I couldn’t help but feel there was something more to it than that.

I also wasn’t deaf to the rumors going around the Village about my great-grandson. But for the rumors to be so accurate it meant that someone had more than likely revealed secrets that they shouldn’t have. 

It was because of these rumors that I had Tsunade call the Elder Council together for a meeting. 

I briefly considered the possibility of Tokio being involved with the spread of rumors, but I shrugged the thought off. 

If the boy had his way then no one would ever learn that Naruto was actually a Senju, so I could logically cross him off the suspect list. 

In the meantime, I continued to drill the basics of kenjutsu into Naruto’s stubborn skull. 

“You are overreaching” I stated, taking advantage of the opening and elbowed him in the face. 

“Dammit. Alright, one more time” Naruto stated, gripping his nose and picking himself off the ground and into his kenjutsu stance. 

Just then a familiar bird cry echoed from above. 

“Yield” I commanded, making Naruto stumbled slightly as he paused mid-charge. 

“Huh? What is it?” Naruto asked confused. 

“I am needed at a meeting. We will resume training later” I informed him. 

“Oh fine. But when you get back I’m gonna win dattebayo!” Naruto declared confidently. 

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready to meet up with Sasuke and Sakura at Ichiraku’s?” I casually reminded him. 

“Oh man I totally forgot! Sakura will kill me if I’m late!” Naruto said, taking off into the corridors.

‘Now. Time to flush out a rat’ I thought determinedly.

**(Sasuke’s POV)**

Admittedly I was in relatively good spirits. 

Training under the Snake-Bitch and Kakashi was actually yielding the training results I’d determined that I was lacking. 

They were slave drivers, but I’d be complaining if they weren’t training me to the bone. 

I needed to get stronger and I won’t if they take it easy on me. 

Of course I don’t think the Snake-Bitch even knows the meaning of the phrase ‘take it easy’ unless it was related to her dango breaks. 

Seriously that woman likes dango more than Naruto loves ramen! 

Just the thought of that makes my spine crawl. 

_Nobody_ should be able to eat that much dango and not get sick. It just wasn’t normal! 

Regardless she was admittedly a suitable instructor. 

Though I’ll never say that to her face. She’d hold that over my head until the day she died.

Through my new training regime my ninjutsu arsenal has increased appropriately. 

At my insistence Anko taught me the Summoning jutsu. I may not have the chakra reserves right now to summon something as large as the Toad Boss, but so long as I keep up my training I’ll be able to someday. 

Anko was also surprisingly scary good at genjutsu, but after using her Demonic Illusion: Field of Slaughter jutsu on me she was a bit more careful to try not to ‘retraumatize’ me. 

Though I brushed off the incident each time they mention it I could tell they knew it bothered me more than I’d like to admit.

And they were right (Though I refused to “sit down and fucking talk like a normal human being” as Anko repeatedly demanded).

Her genjutsu wasn’t like the illusion the Masked Man had placed me under, but it brought back the memories of the event just the same. 

The occurrence only made me that much more determined to get stronger. To not be _weak_. 

I also restarted my kyujutsu training, and started training in kenjutsu and with my Clan’s special Ignition Flute. 

The weapon was rarely used anymore in modern times even prior to my Clan’s destruction, but it had always sounded like a cool tool to have on hand. 

The purple combat flute came with a small gourd that contained the Uchiha crest on it. The gourd itself contained special chakra laced ignition powder that can either be remotely detonated by the flute, or used for other hiden fire techniques. 

It takes a lot of training to learn how to use it, but personally I think it’ll be worth it in order for me to possess a wide variety of skills. 

“Hey isn’t that Sasuke Uchiha? What’s _he_ doing here?” I heard a snide voice say. 

Subtly glancing to the right I saw a boy and a girl around my age glaring in my direction. 

Pretending like I wasn’t listening I focused in on their conversation.

“That pinkette Shinta hates is his teammate right? He’s probably here to pick up the brown-noser” the girl with wavy auburn-hair sneered. 

“Didn’t your parents teach you not to talk about people behind their backs? Humph. Then again what else can I expect from a bunch of cowards like yourselves” I said condescendingly, turning my head to glare at them unimpressed. 

“What did you say?” the girl challenged angrily, narrowing her gray eyes at me. 

“Satomi enough. He’s just trying to bait you” the light brown haired boy said, taking ahold of Satomi’s shoulder. 

“Bait? Don’t be ridiculous. As if I would waste my time baiting amateurs like yourselves. I was merely stating a fact. Nothing more, nothing less” I scoffed dismissively. 

“What?! Get over here and try saying that again and see what happens! Takashi get off me!” Satomi shouted, furiously trying to get out of Takashi’s grip. 

“That coming from the two of you who were just insulting two people you’ve never met behind their backs? I told you my opinion of you straight to your faces. If you don’t like what I have to say then maybe next time you should keep your ‘whispers’ to yourselves” I lectured them. 

Immediately after I turned to walk down the hospital hallways, ignoring the stares of the other people in the room. 

Humph. I could care less what they think. 

I wasn’t the one who started the scene. I was just the one to end it.

Though I’m definitely going to be looking up the two of them later. 

By the Clan crests I saw on their clothes the boy was a Shimura (like Danzo), and the girl was an Akado (like Yoroi). 

Needless to say I didn’t trust them one bit. The same went for whoever this Shinta-guy was. 

But in the end they’re just barking dogs.

And weaklings like them don’t get to choose their fate.

**(Sakura’s POV)**

“Alright, everything checks out. There is no infection and your wound is healing nicely” Kito-senpai assured Aoba as he finished scanning his hand over Aoba's shoulder with the Diagnostics Scan jutsu. 

“That’s definitely a relief. At least I’ll be able to tell my adorable little genin that we can start taking missions outside the village again soon” Aoba teased. 

“You should be more careful with your life Sensei…Next time we’ll be stronger so you won’t get hurt protecting us” Shinta said determinedly. 

“I’ll hold you to that” Aoba said smiling. 

“Sakura I want you to rewrap his shoulder and update the Injury Report” Kito-senpai ordered. 

“Yes sir” I replied. 

I immediately went to work. Putting on gloves I reminded myself to place a light coating of antibacterial cream onto Aoba-sensei’s healing gash (the cream he wasn’t allergic to). From there I placed the gauze pads on his skin and used medical tape to keep them in place. 

“It’s more efficient for larger wounds if you place the tape on the gauze before you lay them onto his skin” Shinta remarked condescendingly. 

“Oh, thanks for the tip!” I said with a false smile. 

_“Say one more condescending sentence I dare you!” Inner Sakura threatened._

‘I don’t know what Shinta’s problem is, but ever since I started assisting the medics at the hospital he’s been nothing but a jerk’ I thought angrily.

_*Flashback*_

_After spending the first week training with Ibiki-sensei and memorizing the material in the books Lady Tsunade gave me, I was finally able to start learning the Healing jutsu._

_I spent all day trying to get my chakra control fine enough to allow the healing chakra to revitalize the cells in the fish that I was practicing on, but so far no luck._

_But there was no way I was going to give up now!_

_I retrieved another fish from the pond and tried again._

_I focused my chakra into my hands, the chakra surrounding them taking on the Healing technique’s signature turquoise color._

_Gently. Steadily._

_Come on. Come on!_

_I can’t give up! I won’t give up!_

_All of a sudden the fish flapped back up off the table, nearly smacking me in the face._

_“I did it!” I exclaimed joyously._

_I couldn’t help but look over excitedly at Lady Tsunade._

_‘To be able to master the first level of the Healing jutsu in a day. That girl…I haven’t seen such talent since Shizune’ Tsunade thought._

_“Good work. Now it only gets tougher from here” Tsunade teasingly warned._

_*End Flashback*_

Lady Tsunade was right, but I wasn’t going to let anything stop me now. Especially not Shinta! 

After the gauze was finished I easily wrapped Aoba’s shoulder in bandages. 

“Good work Sakura. Now if you please” Kito-senpai said, handing me the clipboard. 

That was the one annoying thing about my new job as a nurse-in-training. 

Now I know why Lady Tsunade always tries to skip out on her paperwork. 

“Hurry it up. You can’t dawdle so long on such an easy sheet. There are other patients to be tended to” Shinta remarked rudely. 

“Sorry for the hold up it’ll just take another minute” I said, scribbling through the last parts.

_“Yeah. And it’ll only take two seconds to bash your head into the wall!” Inner Sakura roared._

“Shinta that is enough. Sakura is obviously still learning. She’s not going to know all the tricks of the trade yet. It’s not fair to treat her that way” Aoba reprimanded. 

Shinta just huffed. 

“Shinta. You were assigned to assist Sakura as her senior. If you do not possess the professionalism necessary for the job I will gladly reassign you to another sector” Kito-senpai scolded. 

“No sir. I apologize for my misconduct” Shinta said, giving Kito-senpai a slight apologetic bow. 

“Very well. But keep in mind that if I see or hear anything regarding poor treatment towards Sakura or any trainee again you will be discussing your future at the hospital with Lady Tsunade. Are we clear?” Kito-senpai demanded. 

Shinta nodded grudgingly.

“Good. Then I leave you to the rest of the rounds here. I am needed in surgery. Come along Sakura” Kito-senpai declared. 

“Yes sir” I say, quickly getting into step behind him. 

“What?! Why is she going?” Shinta demanded. 

“Shinta” Aoba said harshly, causing the boy to wince slightly. 

“Sakura has a lot of information to catch up on. The more exposure she has to real-life situations the better” Kito-senpai explained. 

Shinta just grit his teeth. 

“And Shinta. I will choose to ignore that misstep just now. Don’t make me regret that I did” Kito-senpai warned. 

“Yes sir” Shinta ground out. 

I followed Kito-senpai out of the room and through the hallways as we headed towards the operating theaters. 

“The patient has a punctured lung from a poisoned kunai. Be sure to observe not only our jutsu and treatment, but our collaboration in creating a cure as well” Kito-senpai said. 

“Yes sir” I replied.

**(Shinta’s POV)**

That stupid pink haired bitch! Who does she think she is? Everyone is giving her preferential treatment just because she’s the Hokage’s student! 

I wasn’t allowed to observe a surgery until I was ten! And I’ve been practicing medical ninjutsu since I was six! 

She’s in training for less than two weeks and she’s allowed to shadow a Captain of the Medic Corps!? What bullshit is that?! 

The only thing I’ve been hearing the past five days is how much of a prodigy she is. Yeah right! So she’s got good chakra control and can easily memorize a bunch of stuff. So what? Everyone in the Medic Corps has those traits. And once the novelty of her wares off everyone else will see that too!

Just because she’s Lady Tsunade's apprentice doesn’t mean she’s anything special.

And that was another thing. 

Our esteemed Hokage, the woman hailed as the World’s Greatest Medic, left the Village for over a decade! 

Because she just up and disappeared my Clan, the Nohara clan, were the ones who had to fill in the gap left behind by her absence. 

For almost thirteen years my family has been in charge of the Hospital. Then one day she just decides to come back and takes all that away from us! Kicking my mother out of her position of Head Medic and relegating her to High Advisor status when she’s the Head of the Nohara clan! 

Ever since Tsunade returned to the Village it’s been one slight after another to my Clan. And now just because some girl is now Tsunade's apprentice she’s allowed access to things not even a Nohara would be when in training?! 

In our Clan the color face paint we use for our square Clan marks on our face indicates our skill level within the Clan (and by extension the medical field). 

Orange for those who haven’t yet started their training, white for the novices just starting out, light blue for those with the skills of a low-level medic, purple for those with mid-level medical skills, red for those with high-level skills, and finally dark green (like the leaves this Village was named after) for those who have reached the level of Medical Master.

Even though I was so close to my next Colors Ceremony I was still a _light blue._

Even though I’ve been working at the Hospital since I was ten I still didn’t have access to the things that Pink-Bitch did! 

I couldn’t help but growl in frustration. 

I’ll show them all that the Nohara clan are still the top medics around here! 

“Shinta, you need to calm down. Petty jealousy isn’t going to get you anywhere” Aoba-sensei remarked, gently but sternly. 

I was just about done with the rounds on the floor, so I would be able to join my squad in eating lunch soon and hopefully forget this for the time being.

“I’m not jealous! That pink haired bitch is just a good-for-nothing brown-noser. And I can’t stand that everyone is treating her like a fucking princess!” I retorted angrily. 

“Shinta” Aoba said warningly. 

“So you’re Shinta” a voice scoffed, sounding incredibly unimpressed. 

Sensei and I turned to see none other than Sasuke Uchiha, staring me down like I was a bug underneath his sandal. 

“Yeah? What if I am?” I demanded, narrowing my eyes at him. 

The pompous bastard just shifts his gaze away from me like I wasn’t even worth his time and addresses Aoba-sensei. 

“If you’re his Sensei then I recommend you teach your students that they should watch what they say in public about people they don’t know. Your other two students seem to have that same issue” Sasuke remarked. 

Aoba-sensei just looked mortified. 

“I apologize for anything my students said” Aoba-sensei said apologetically. 

“Next time you consider lashing out at someone who’s working hard, you should remember that your actions reflect on your Sensei. So unless you’re trying to get him in trouble I recommend you sign up for some etiquette classes” the Uchiha declared condescendingly before he walked away without giving so much as a final glance in our direction. 

Just because he’s an Uchiha and is labeled a prodigy doesn’t give him the right to be an entitled jerk!

What the hell makes Team 7 so special?!

**(Third POV)**

“Whew” Sakura huffed as she exited the operating theater. 

The operation hadn't taken long, but the critical nature of the patient made it feel like forever with the high stakes anxiety involved. 

‘I got a lot of good notes watching them. I hope my jutsu looks that flawless one day’ Sakura thought excitedly. 

“Sakura” a voice called out, bringing her back out of her head. 

“Hey Sasuke! What are you doing here?” Sakura asked him in surprise. 

“The Team’s getting together at Ichiraku’s for lunch today remember?” he said. 

“Oh yeah! That’s right, I totally forgot” Sakura said sheepishly. 

“Hn. It’s fine. I figured you would forget anyway. Hence why I’m here” he said knowingly. 

“Sorry to trouble you” Sakura muttered gloomily. 

In her depressive moment she didn’t notice Sasuke’s eyes giving her a surprised once over. 

“What are you wearing?” Sasuke asked. 

“Oh this? Since I’m assisting at the Hospital now they gave me a nurse’s uniform to wear. Why? Does–does it look weird?” she asked blushing a bit. 

“Hn” Sasuke grunted before turning around. 

“You should probably change. You don’t want Naruto accidently spilling ramen all over it or something” Sasuke said. 

“Darn you’re right! Knowing Naruto, that's definitely a possibility. I’ll be back in five minutes” Sakura said, quickly jogging over to the locker room assigned to the staff at the Hospital. 

Sasuke just remained standing there, a very faint barely-there blush on his face. 

**(Hinata’s POV)**

I couldn’t help but listen to the whispers going around about Naruto as I was out shopping for supplies in order to make more of my healing ointment. 

_“The heir, no way!”_

_“You saw him during the Final Exams. He used the Shadow Clone jutsu. That’s a Senju only technique!”_

_“Lord Tobirama **is** always with him” _

_“If you look close enough you can see their resemblance”_

_“From what I hear his **false** surname Uzumaki wasn’t for show” _

_“He’s a blonde though”_

_“Senju genes trump Uzumaki I guess. Wasn’t it like that for Lord Hashirama and Lady Mito’s children?”_

_“But he’s **that** boy!” _

The further into the marketplace I went the more rumors I heard. 

Were any of the rumors going around actually true? Could Naruto actually be a hidden Senju clan heir? 

Some of what they were saying made sense, but just because they made sense it didn’t automatically make them true. 

It was like the misconception that all Hyugas possessed the Byakugan. 

While all Hyūgas _do_ inherit the Byakugan and constantly show its generic physical traits, we still have to go through intense physical training in order to manifest the dōjutsu's actual powers. And not all Hyūga are actually able to accomplish this. 

I understood that at a very early age. 

It was why I had never once complained about my Father training me until there wasn’t a fiber of my being that wasn’t screaming in pain. 

I needed to be strong and develop the Byakugan or else I was useless as the heir. 

After Uncle Hizashi was killed and handed over to the Cloud Village the tension between the Main House and the Branch Family only increased over time. 

So it became my dream to join the two Branches back together and get rid of the Caged Bird Seal. 

But no matter how much I tried I was never good enough. And the older I got the more worthless I became in the Elders’ eyes. 

I was five years old, not yet enrolled in the Academy, when some of the older civilian Academy Students started picking on me for having ‘creepy eyes’. 

Of course I was a pathetic crybaby and didn’t have the courage to fight back. 

Then all of a sudden a boy my age with spikey blonde hair and goggles came and defended me. 

Even though he lost the fight against the older students he didn’t stop trying to fight back. 

When I realized that he was in my class I always found myself watching him. 

The more I watched him the more I realized that he was just like me. A failure. 

But he never gave up. He always kept trying. And he inspired me to keep trying at home. My new drive appeasing the Elders for a time. 

But then my Mother fell ill when I was seven. 

As I stayed at her bedside I began to take an interest in medicine. 

And when she finally died of poor health I considered pursuing a career in the medical field…But a Hyuga medic from the Main Branch was an unspoken taboo, and I didn’t want my family to look upon me any more disfavorably then they already were. 

My Mother had been the only remaining buffer left between me and the Elders’ disfavor. 

My dream may be to unite my family, but my goal was to be a strong shinobi like my father, but as kind as my Mother. 

When she died, a part of me did as well. 

My increased submissiveness only made the Main Branch’s discontent in me worsen. 

As I aged the Elder’s discontentment with my abilities were no longer subtle nor hidden. 

Things only became worse for me when Hanabi began to show prodigious talent as she was sparring with her attendant. 

A week before my Academy Graduation Hanabi and I were forced to face-off against each other in real combat. The winner would be the heiress of the Clan. 

Though Hanabi fought well and showed immense talent, I still had more experience. 

But I couldn’t land the final blow and intentionally hurt my younger sister. 

While we are trained as shinobi to have enough control over our actions in-case we need to halt our attack, Hanabi had no such training. She was able to land a final blow when I left myself open in my hesitant state. 

From then on I was no longer the heiress. I was just a mistake. 

When I was placed on Kurenai-sensei’s team, she and Kiba continuously tried to get me to open up and realize that I wasn’t worthless. Shino encouraged me as well, but he also assured me to do what made me the most comfortable and to take baby steps. 

Kurenai-sensei quickly became an older sister figure to me, giving me advice as both a kunoichi and a young woman. 

The more time I spent with my squad the harder I trained. 

Surprisingly, despite our drastic differences we made an excellent team. 

Kiba was brash, energetic, and loyal. He bulldozes right over my shyness, comes up with ridiculous team activities to break me out of my shell, and acts much like an older brother would. 

And though he was silent about it, Shino had far more confidence in me than I had in myself. With us nothing is forced. And we enjoyed our companionable silence (though it drives Kiba nuts how we can just sit around and not talk to each other). 

All three of them were confident in themselves. And they were confident that things would start changing for me as well. 

But more than anything I wanted to change myself. 

When Kurenai-sensei signed us up for the Chunin Exams I knew I couldn’t say no even though I wanted to. I wouldn’t do that to my teammates. 

In the end it worked out for the best. Thanks to Naruto I finally faced down my fears and fought my cousin to the bitter end. 

Even though I knew I would lose I refused to give up. 

And when I woke up after surgery for the first time I finally confronted my family head-on for the first time in my life. 

_*Flashback*_

_“Big Sis you’re awake!” Hanabi said happily._

_“What on earth were you thinking taking on Neji like that?” my Father demanded._

_“The moment your names were paired on the screen you should have forfeited the match” Grandfather sternly backed._

_Hanabi just looked at Father and Grandfather in shocked disbelief._

_“My decisions are neither of your concern” I remarked sharply, my stutter temporarily gone from my speech._

_Silence permeated the room._

_“I am no longer the heiress. How I choose to get stronger is no longer your business. My nindo is to never give up. I was not going to back down from a fight just because everyone said my opponent was stronger. I am a shinobi of this Village, and Leaf shinobi do not run away!” I stated with all the conviction I had compiled over the course of twelve years._

_*End Flashback*_

I had never rendered my Father and Grandfather speechless until that very moment. 

The only thing that assured me I had done the right thing by telling them off was my sister’s smile when I was done speaking. 

Even still, the Clan treated me a bit more disfavorably than usual for a while until Neji-nisan actually fixed it by forcing them to watch the tape of our match. 

And now that my Father is openly having Neji-nisan train with him, the fractures in our Clan are slowly beginning to mend. 

Not only that, Neji-nisan and the rest of the Clan have been showing me far more respect then I have received from them in years. 

I still train with my Team, but now my Father calls me up during sparring sessions. Something he had stopped doing after I lost my position as heiress. 

And despite his hesitance I insisted that I spar with Neji-nisan. 

If I want the Main and Branch families to come together someday I needed to show our Clan that I didn’t carry any ill-will towards him for his actions. 

'But I still have a long way to go' I thought. 

“Hey Hinata! You look better! The last time I saw you was during the Final Exam. I hope you got to see me kick Neji’s butt!” Naruto exclaimed bounding over to me. 

I couldn’t help but freeze in place at the suddenness of his appearance. 

“Y-yes I saw. A-and t-thank you. I-I’m all better now” I stammered nervously. My face had to have already turned beat red by now. 

“Well that’s good to hear! I’m sorry I can’t stay and talk. I’m meeting Sasuke and Sakura at Ichiraku’s for lunch and then I gotta get back to training” he said excitedly. 

“I-I hear you’ve b-been training hard” I said. 

“You betcha! Grandpa Tobirama has been running me into the ground, but it’s totally worth it!” Naruto said happily. 

“I-I’m happy for you” I said, giving him a small genuine smile. 

“Thanks! Anyway, sorry I gotta go. I guess I’ll see you around. Later Hinata!” Naruto called out as he ran off. 

Wait... 

Grandpa…Tobirama. 

'Does that mean the rumors are actually true?!' I thought astounded. 

_“Did you hear? He just called the Second Hokage Grandpa!”_

_“So it is true!”_

I shook my head, blocking out the loud whispers going on around me. 

Naruto was working hard and getting stronger. 

I need to train even harder too! 

**(Third POV)**

“I must say I am curious as to what it is that is so urgent considering you never call upon us if you can help it” Koharu stated, giving Tsunade a curious glance. 

“I requested Tsunade call this meeting, and for good reason I assure you” Tobirama stated flatly. 

“I have no doubt Sensei. But the question remains, why?” Homura inquired further. 

“Throughout the past week rumors have been going around the civilian sector of the Village. Now normally such matters would not be of any concern of mine, however it was the accuracy of these rumors, and the speed at which they are spreading into even the shinobi forces that caught my attention” Tobirama detailed. 

“Rumors? You were never one to bother yourself with such trivial matters before” Homura pointed out. 

“Which means the subject of the rumors is what is the concern” Koharu theorized. 

“That is correct” Tobirama confirmed. 

“Then what is it that people are saying?” Homura asked. 

“The hot topic of discussion these days is Naruto Uzumaki” Jiraiya stated. 

The three Elders turned to him. 

“Or rather, Naruto Senju as they’re now calling him” Jiraiya proclaimed, his expression carefully neutral. 

“What?! How did the boy’s heritage get out?” Homura demanded. 

“That would be the million-dollar question now wouldn’t it?” Tsunade said blandly, he fingers folded together in front of her face. 

“According to the rumors Naruto was used as a vessel to seal away the Nine-Tailed Fox because of his Senju and Uzumaki heritage. But because of this, his identity as the Senju clan heir was kept a secret” Hiruzen expanded. 

“For the rumors to be so accurate…” Koharu trailed off in disbelief. 

“We came to much of the same conclusions” Tsunade stated. 

“Someone tipped them off” Jiraiya continued. 

“Very few people knew of the truth. While it is possible that an unknown figured it out themselves, for the rumors to be so close to the truth, and spread at the rate they have been, it means that only someone who knew the truth could have been the one to have done it” Tsunade theorized. 

“So far all the individuals we have questioned are clean...Minus three” Hiruzen stated, pointedly looking in the direction of his former squadmates. 

“You cannot possibly believe that we would be behind such a thing?!” Homura demanded, offended by such accusations. 

“Using rumors about a particular individual to accomplish a means to an end. Nothing you haven’t done before. The subject of said rumors is even the same person” Tobirama retorted coldly. 

The Council became very quiet. 

“In fact, one of you in particular was responsible for said rumors about Naruto the first time. It wouldn’t be a stretch to deduce that the source of these rumors would be the very same person this time around as well…Isn’t that right Danzo?” Tobirama challenged, narrowing his eyes at his former subordinate. 

“As expected of my former sensei” Danzo casually confirmed. 

“Danzo…Why?” Koharu asked softly, still in shock over his admittance. 

“Sensei, you must understand the strong political importance Naruto holds” Danzo began, his tone almost pleading for him to be heard out first. 

“ _What political importance_?” Tobirama demanded threateningly. 

“Naruto is not just the Leaf Village’s jinchuriki. He is the sole heir to three separate clans. Senju, Uzumaki, and Namikaze” Danzo declared, beginning his case. 

“ _What_!?” Tobirama demanded. 

“Tsunade and Naruto are the only surviving members of the Main Branch of the Senju clan. Because Tsunade never had any children that automatically makes Naruto the heir of the Senju clan” Danzo detailed, deciding that it was best to start with the obvious. 

“Of which I am aware, but pray tell why he is supposedly the heir to two other clans as well” Tobirama all but ordered. 

“The destruction of the Village Hidden in the Whirlpools was what started the Second Shinobi World War. Both the Senju descended Uzumaki and Namikaze clans were almost entirely eradicated. Currently the only other known living Namikaze descendant is Jiriaya, and he does not have any children either” Danzo elaborated, pointedly ignoring Jiraiya's glares. 

“Toad summoning and sage mode is not exclusive to a clan” Tobirama bit out, attempting to steer the conversation away from where he feared it was going. 

“No, but they did possess hiden jutsu and a kekkei genkai. Not to mention many members of the Namikaze clan were capable of achieving sage mode. Very few shinobi are, and yet their blood could” Danzo countered right back. 

Tobirama grudgingly had to cave to his point. 

“Be that as it may, unlike the other two situations, Naruto is not the only living person of Uzumaki descent” Tobirama pointedly reminded him. 

“No, but he _is_ the only one descended from the Main Household. The two other Uzumaki descendants we’ve managed to confirm are female, and neither are descended from the Main Branch. You should know very well that clan laws dictate that so long as there is a living descendant of the Main Household others cannot take his place as heir. Especially when he’s been openly using the surname Uzumaki since he was born” Danzo countered smoothly. 

The more he spoke the more Danzo could see Koharu and Homura bending to his logic. 

Perfect. 

“Not only that, Naruto possesses the kekkei genkai of the Senju, Uzumaki, and Namikaze clans as well as the potential for senjutsu. Meaning that he is fully capable of producing potential heirs for all three Clans…If given the proper genetic selection” Danzo stated, subtly bracing himself as he knew he was playing with fire (or rather, an ocean storm). 

“I _dare_ you to try speaking of my blood as if he is a breeding tool again!” Tobirama threatened fiercely, his chakra beginning to outline his form. 

“Be as angry as you would like Sensei, I’m merely informing you of what you do not want to acknowledge” Danzo stated simply, though his posture remained taught. 

“I feel the need to point out that if you had planned on having this talk with Naruto someday, then maybe you shouldn’t have treated him like crap” Jiraiya deadpanned. 

“As poorly planned as it was, the young man still has a duty to this Village, this included. The Council had planned on telling him when he was older and more capable of understanding his situation” Koharu stated. 

“You should be counting your lucky stars that he didn’t grow up to seek revenge against this Village for all it has done to him!” Tobirama near shouted. 

“While this is true, Danzo is right in that not doing anything means the potential destruction of three Clans” Homura reminded him. 

"I don't see you lot attempting to force Kakashi to marry and have kids" Jiraiya retorted. 

While the CRP was technically in effect for every endangered Clan of the Leaf, the Councils rarely made it their business to enforce it. 

For them to even have the gall to start doing so now? Jiraiya placed all bets on an ulterior motive, courtesy of Danzo. 

“Sensei, my actions in revealing Naruto’s full heritage to the public was a motion to boost the moral of the Village” Danzo boldly claimed. 

“How so?” Tsunade questioned, her eyes narrowed at the conniving weasel. 

“The Senju, while still revered by the Village have largely fallen from power. The Uzumakis are only spoken of in history books, and the Namikazes as a clan have been forgotten completely. Naruto is now not only the star of hope for the revival of the Village’s beloved Senju clan, but the reminder that so long as he lives, so does the Uzumaki and Namikaze” Danzo defended eloquently. 

Tobirama now fully understood what Hiruzen meant by Danzo being able to justify his way out of so many situations after he's been proven responsible for certain actions. 

“Ignorance can only last so long. People were already starting to ask questions” Danzo casually reminded them. 

“While it may be true that Naruto’s fight during the Final Exam did in fact get people curious about his heritage, it was out of line to go behind the Council’s back without consulting the necessary individual’s first. Do not forget the reason those secrets were in place to begin with was to keep Naruto safe” Hiruzen chastised. 

“Safe? With the Akatsuki now making their move? Don’t you think a Village willing to protect their jinchuriki rather than one that hates him would be better?” Danzo challenged. 

“You were the one to reveal his status as a jinchuriki in the first place!” Hiruzen countered furiously. 

“Indeed. Because it served a larger purpose. Now revealing that such a prestigious heir is still loyal to the Village that has wrong him for so long will serve to his benefit” Danzo declared calculatedly. 

“Enough. What’s done is done. Now we need to decide where to go from here” Jiraiya cut in, fed up with hearing Danzo's eloquent bullshit. 

They needed to figure out how to fix this...Or really, grab the reins back from the horse causing chaos within the Village. 

“One moment” Tobirama declared suddenly. 

The occupants of the room immediately turned to him. 

“Don’t think I forgot about that little slip of the tongue of yours” Tobirama stated pointedly at Danzo. 

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean” Danzo replied, playing ignorant. 

“You said Naruto inherited the kekkei genkai of all _three_ Clans. What exactly did you mean by that?” Tobirama questioned (read: demanded). 

He knew Naruto's chakra card possessed four stars on it, but the Uzumaki didn't have a kekkei genkai. 

For the briefest of moments Danzo glared at his former Sensei in annoyance. 

“When the boy was young I had his blood and chakra tested for any kekkei genkai or bloodline traits during one of his wellness check-ups” Danzo admitted without hesitation. 

“ _What_?" 

“It was merely the typical procedure used by the Leaf Hospital to identify inheritances” Danzo calmly assured. 

Knowing Danzo had Naruto's blood somewhere didn't assure them in the least. 

“So you knew the entire time that Naruto could use Wood release, and Typhoon release?” Tobirama accused. 

Koharu and Homura were stunned to silence at the information kept from them about Naruto. 

“I knew of his regenerative potential, Wood release, Typhoon release, _and_ the fact he inherited his Mother’s _special chakra_ ” Danzo emphasized. 

“Special chakra?” Tobirama questioned confused. 

“That is what the Uzumaki’s themselves called it. The Uzumaki possessed chakra unique to their bloodline. Some Uzumakis’ chakra were particularly ‘special’ or strong. In fact the special chakra as they called it is actually a very subtle kekkei genkai that combines yin and yang release” Danzo explained as if he were a lecturing teacher. 

“Okay. So what does it do exactly?” Tsunade asked, skeptical of Danzo's claim. 

“Essentially it allows the user to nullify the effects of chakra” Danzo revealed. 

“What?!” 

“The strength of the kekkei genkai will vary per individual, as it typically does. However the way it works is atypical of other jutsu. Since it was never realized to be a kekkei genkai it was only ever unconsciously used to enhance their Clan’s hiden sealing jutsu” Danzo explained. 

“Kushina’s chakra chains…” Jiraiya realized. 

“Indeed. Her kekkei genkai was likely why her chains were strong enough to restrain even a Tailed-Beast” Danzo confirmed. 

“It is also why Naruto isn’t hurt by the input of so many Shadow Clones’ memories getting sent to his head, even after he creates hundreds of them” Danzo stated, looking pointedly at Tobirama. 

“It nullifies the backlash of his chakra returning to him and in turn removes the memory backlash as well” Tobirama inferred. 

“Exactly” Danzo stated, having already come to the same conclusions himself. 

“Well. No one can say Naruto doesn’t keep you on your toes” Hiruzen stated exasperatedly. 

“The situation is what it is” Homura declared, coming out of his shocked stuper. 

“The question is how we handle the situation from here?” Koharu inquired. 

“A statement by the Fifth Hokage would probably be best” Jiraiya suggested, though there was a frustrated bitterness to his tone. 

They needed to control the flow of information going around the Village as quickly as possible. 

He just hated that it was on Danzo's terms. 

“Agreed. Coming from myself it will not only be taken as my word as Hokage, as the current Head of the Senju clan” Tsunade reasoned, not sounding any happier than Jiraiya. 

As much as she wanted to send Danzo into the center of the damn Earth they needed to play this smart. 

Eyeing her Great-Uncle she immediately knew the plan. 

Let Danzo think he still had control. 

No matter how much it pissed them all off. 

“It would be good if Naruto gave a small speech as well. And if Tobirama-sensei were close by all the better” Danzo added in, pleased with how the discussion was going in his favor (as he had predicted). 

Tsunade and Tobirama reluctantly nodded, both of them gritting their teeth for agreeing with Danzo's suggestion. 

“And what of his parentage?” Jiraiya unhappily inquired, hating to have to bring it up. 

The room went silent. 

But of course Danzo was the one to break it. 

“The reason his heritage was kept a secret was for his protection. As the Senju, Uzumaki, and Namikaze heir he will already have a large target on his back. Revealing his parentage to the Village wouldn’t put him at any more risk then he already is in for being a jinchuriki and triple heir” Danzo reasoned logically. 

"Considering the Village Hidden in the Stones' tendency to hold grudges, and how many times the Village Hidden in the Cloud has made attempts to steal our bloodline carriers I highly doubt that" Hiruzen deadpanned. 

"People are going to ask who his parents are. It's only a matter of time before the denial and blinders come away" Danzo casually noted. 

'People only see what they wish to see. Or rather what _you_ wish them to see' Tobirama internally scorned. 

“Then if we are all in agreement, the announcement should take place as soon as possible” Homura proclaimed, having heard enough. 

“Honestly I’d say it needs to be done no later than noon tomorrow” Tsunade said warily, bitterly. 

“Very well then. Preparations must be made immediately” Koharu said, beginning to stand. 

“The Leaf Village is about to get one hell of a bitch-slap to the face” Jiraiya mused. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Team 7 is making waves with their reputation. And not everyone are fans.
> 
> Danzo only _thinks_ he's in control ;)
> 
> Hinata's section is the character development I wished Kishimoto had done with her character.
> 
> * Shinta is actually a canon character that was around Choji's age, but I made him a year older (and in Team Gai's graduating class) since we didn't see him in Iruka's class, and I made him a Nohara since he had the same facial make-up/marks as Rin.
> 
> * Typhoon release is an actual canon kekkei genkai in the Sasuke Shinden novels. With the name Namikaze meaning waves and wind I kind of felt like it fit (and for other reasons too I can't say now because that would be Uber spoilers).
> 
> * Kushina mentioned that her chakra was special even for an Uzumaki but we never got an explanation as to why. Just that it made her particularly suited to be a Jinchuriki. This was my explanation for it and yes there is a reason I came up with this. No spoilers lol (even though I technically could).
> 
> And yes in case the tags were not read this is a CRA work, however it is not the central focus of the plot, only one of the themes going on. And the Naruto harem is nowhere in sight as of right now. It is a distant future thing.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> I probably should have so this into two chapters. But meh.
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Third POV)**

'Poor kid' Genma thought from his position in the Hokage Office rafters. 

Politics and power-playing disgusted him, and unfortunately the two tended to coincide. 

Naruto didn’t deserve to have people controlling his life like this. The poor kid was still trying to pick up the pieces of his life that the Council had destroyed back when he was four. And just when he was starting to they're going to rip the rug out from under him once again. 

He was loyal to this Village without question. 

That didn’t mean he agreed with everything blindly. 

Up until recently there were scant few people who neither hated Naruto nor considered him a nuisance. 

Outside himself, Raido, Iwashi, the Third Hokage, Iruka, Kakashi, Yamato, Itachi, and Shisui, only Shikaku, Ibiki and Anko had found the kid amusing and saw his (stunted) potential. 

It still beyond irritated him that it was going to take the Hokage telling the entire Village who Naruto’s parents were for them to realize that he looks like a mini-Minato-sama.

Raido felt much of the same. 

As a talented assassin and one of the three bodyguards of the Hokage he was usually stationed in the shadows and never had the chance to encounter Naruto outside the times he was with the Third Hokage. 

Still, he was a methodical person by nature. A trait that allowed him to excel in his area of expertise. After silently gathering the appropriate information he would devise the best course of action and wait for the right time to strike. 

To him the Council’s plan felt rushed. And not well thought out by any means. 

And if his hunch was right, that was exactly how Danzo planned it. 

The man always had a way of being ten moves ahead of everyone else, and played everyone around him like fools. 

Unfortunately Naruto was a helpless victim to the old man’s schemes, whatever they may be. 

Frankly, he couldn’t see Naruto taking any of this situation well, and it would totally be within his rights not to.

Iwashi was just pissed off. 

'Doesn’t anyone care how much they're damaging this poor kid?' he thought furiously. 

Like for many when they first started working in the Intelligence Division psychology had become his new best friend.

But frankly you didn't have to work in the Intelligence Division to realize what the Council were planning was a horrible idea.

Anyone who spends even just five minutes thinking over the physical, emotional, and psychological torment Naruto’s been put through his entire life should be damn well grateful he wasn’t more like that Sand jinchuriki Gaara. 

And if he had turned out like that, nobody would have anyone to blame but themselves. 

And now the higher ups were gonna hit the kid with all his ‘obligations’ at once and even expected him to make a public statement in front of all the people who have treated him like shit for the past nine years. 

Iwashi wished his Pain Suppression jutsu numbed more than just physical pain. The poor kid would need it for the conversation to come. 

“Makes you kinda glad we never decided to change our name to Senju” Genma muttered with a bit of dark humor. 

“Even if we technically are” Raido commented back. 

“I’m pretty sure my name is Iwashi Tatami. Never used such a name myself” Iwashi firmly proclaimed. 

“There was a time we almost did” Genma commented. 

And it was true. Back when the Fourth had taken office he had confronted the three of them regarding a heritage that they had no idea that they had possessed.

Minato-sama revealed to them that he was in fact a Senju that had been living under another name as per the dying request of his father. According to him their grandmothers were Senju who had done much of the same. In wanting to preserve the Senju clan bloodline they passed off their children with the surnames of their husbands’ shinobi family, hoping a day in the future would come that their line would once again use their Clan’s name. 

Minato-sama wanted to bring the Senju clan back to power and was trying to locate as many Senju clan descendents hidden within non-clans as possible. 

They had been reluctant to take the surname of course. Shiranui, Namiashi, and Tatami were their names. What they were known as. How they identified who they were. Minato-sama understood their reluctance very well as he had the same struggles himself. He allowed them to decide for themselves, but made them his bodyguards (regardless of whether or not they took the new surname), and taught them a modified version of the Flying Thunder God jutsu. 

By the time they had decided to take up the surname Senju the Fourth had sacrificed his life for the Village. 

All the plans he had for bettering relationships with their neighboring countries, and fixing the Village's internal tensions with the Uchiha clan, and restoring the Senju clan to its former glory had never lifted off the ground. 

In turn, Genma, Raido, and Iwashi kept the names they were raised with and continued on with their lives.

“I can’t help but feel like we should intervene on Naruto’s behalf” Iwashi said guiltily. 

“Even if we do it will only delay the inevitable…Plus being there to say I told you so wouldn’t be as gratifying as it should be” Genma joked, trying to make light of the horrible circumstances. 

“This isn’t the time to be making fun of the situation at hand Genma” Raido lightly chastised. 

“He’s a strong kid. Full of surprises. Maybe he’ll surprise us all again” Genma commented optimistically, though he didn’t really sound like he fully believed his own words. 

“Strong or not that kid is gonna break one day if all they keep doing is throwing punches at him” Iwashi stated coldly. 

“All we can do is hope that the Kage handle the situation appropriately when the time comes” Raido said. 

Genma couldn't help but think back to what Naruto had said to Neji during the Chunin Exams: 

_“Don’t come whining to me with this destiny stuff. And stop trying to tell me that you can’t change what you are. You can do it too. Cause after all, unlike me you’re not a failure”._

'Hopefully he can remember his own convictions' Genma thought hopefully.

**(Teuchi’s POV)**

“Order up!” I called out. 

“Here you go guys. Eat up. I know the three of you deserve it” Ayame said, setting down each of the bowls with a smile. 

“Thanks a bunch!” Naruto answered happily, digging right into his bowl with his chopsticks. 

“Thank you” Sakura said politely, opening up her chopsticks. 

“Hn. Thanks” Sasuke replied, calmly digging into his tomato flavored ramen. 

I smiled at the trio. 

Ever since I opened up my shop when I was twenty-one I’ve had all kinds of shinobi sitting at these very stools. 

I’ve even had the honor of watching some of them grow up and become the legends they are today. 

From Jiraiya and his squad with a fourteen year old Minato Namikaze to Minato and his own wife and students. 

Now the Will of Fire was being passed onto yet another generation before me once more. 

There is nothing more gratifying than seeing the generations of this Village grow throughout the years. 

I may be a mere ramen-seller, but I have more fulfillment in my life than most could ever claim to have. 

And that’s good enough for me.

**(Third POV)**

“So how’s your training going Naruto?” Sakura asked. 

Naruto took a moment to swallow the abhorrent amount of ramen he had stuffed into his mouth. 

“It’s awesome! I’m learning all kinds of elemental jutsus and I’ve even started learning kenjutsu!” Naruto said excitedly. 

“That’s great! You always did have a ridiculous amount of chakra. Have you started training with your kekkei genkai yet?” Sakura asked curiously. 

Naruto slumped a bit in his seat, growing comically depressed. 

“No. Not since I almost caused a tornado. Grandpa Tobirama wants me to learn how to use wind, water, earth, and yang release first” Naruto said glumly. 

'Tornado?' Sasuke and Sakura both wondered simultaneously. 

“But Grandpa Tobirama has been helping me a lot with my chakra sensing skills! I’m able to sense anyone within a 100 foot radius now!” Naruto exclaimed, bouncing back to his over-exuberant personality. 

“So you’re a sensor after all” Sakura muttered more to herself, specifically thinking back to when Naruto knew that Zabuza had been in the bushes. 

“Humph. That’s all? I expected more from someone being trained by the Second Hokage” Sasuke playfully mocked. 

“What’d you say?!” Naruto demanded angrily, standing up on his stool to glare at Sasuke.

“Going deaf Loser?” Sasuke mocked, giving Naruto a smug teasing smirk. 

“Why I oughta-Well then big shot, what makes you so sure your training is better?” Naruto challenged. 

“Humph. For starters you’re not the only one here who knows how to summon animals anymore. Not to mention I’ve been training my ninjutsu _and_ genjutsu skills” Sasuke listed off smugly. 

Naruto just grit his teeth, while Sakura looked at Sasuke in surprise at the revelation that he was now training in genjutsu. 

“Of course there’s also the fact I’m also training in kenjutsu. And we both know I’m better at taijutsu, so it leads to reason that I’m superior to you in kenjutsu as well” Sasuke said with a mocking smirk. 

“Oh yeah! How about we test that out right now!?” Naruto challenged. 

"You're on" Sasuke declared, ready to put his new skills to the test.

“Both of you…Knock it off!” Sakura shouted, rearing her fists back and bopping the both of them of the head. 

“Ow! Sakura what was that for?!” Naruto whined. 

Sasuke just looked as if Orochimaru had walked by in a dress. 

'The hell…she’s never hit me before' Sasuke thought dumbfounded. 

“Because right now we’re taking a break from training to spend some time together for the first time in two weeks. If the two of you want to spar save it for later. You won’t be overexerting yourselves on my watch” Sakura firmly declared, _daring_ them to overrule her.

“Sorry Sakura” Naruto grumbled, pouting a bit in his seat. 

Sasuke just turned away, embarrassed at being scolded. 

“Anyway. How are things at the Compound Naruto?” Sakura asked curiously, changing the topic of the conversation to one that was hopefully less likely to end up with Sasuke and Naruto duking it out in the streets. 

Naruto paused to gaze almost sadly into his ramen broth. His silence causing both Sasuke and Sakura to turn to face him, worried at his hesitancy to answer. 

“It’s great! There’s so much space and no holes in the walls!” Naruto exclaimed, turning to them with a smile. 

Sasuke and Sakura frowned at his statement. 

'His smile’s fake' they thought in tandem. 

“The truth Naruto” Sasuke demanded firmly. 

Naruto’s smile dropped. 

“It’s…awkward. They’re starting to tolerate my presence at meals, and the kids are no longer avoiding me. But I just…don’t feel like I belong there” Naruto admitted reluctantly. 

“Naruto” Sakura said softly, placing her hand on his shoulder. 

“Enough about me and Sasuke! What about you Sakura? What kind of training have you been up to?” Naruto asked, giving her a reassuring smile. 

Sakura decided to accept the redirection for now in order to give Naruto an emotional break. 

“I’m working as a nurse-in-training at the hospital now. I’ve already learned the first levels of the Healing jutsu and I just mastered the Hemostatic technique. I’m supposed to be learning the Diagnostics scan jutsu soon” Sakura said. 

“That’s awesome! I bet Grandma Tsunade has you working to the bone” Naruto stated confidently. 

“You can say that again. And Ibiki-sensei’s been teaching me all kinds of different skills too, not just helping me learn psychology-based genjutsu and teaching me how to apply my medical skills to assassination-type techniques” Sakura explained thoughtfully.

“A-assassination…” Naruto stammered. 

'That’s…definitely not the route I expected her to take' Sasuke thought with a slight twinge of respectful fear towards his temperamental teammate. 

“That’s kinda scary Sakura” Naruto bluntly declared. 

“Yeah. But I’m not really the interrogation or assassination type. I want to save people not go out and kill them. But he’s training me well and I’m not going to complain about it” she replied. 

Sasuke nodded in understanding approval. 

“Naruto” a voice called out. 

The trio turned to see Shizune running towards them. 

“Hey Shizune, what’s up?” Naruto asked. 

“You’re needed in the Hokage’s Office” she replied, sounding almost regretful. 

Something Naruto immediately picked up on. 

“Huh? What for?” Naruto asked suspiciously. 

“You’ll find out when we get there. Come on” Shizune said, grabbing Naruto’s sleeve and tugging him along. 

“What’d you think that’s about?” Sakura asked.

“I don’t know” Sasuke said, “But I think it’s time we find out what all this sneaking around is about”.

**(Naruto’s POV)**

I stood nervously in front of the Hokage's desk, surrounded by all the existing kage, Pervy Sage, and Shizune. 

None of them felt particularly happy, but the negative emotions themselves weren’t directed at me. 

I could tell that this discussion wasn’t going to be a pleasant one. 

“Naruto. You are aware of your heritage correct?” Grandma Tsunade inquired. 

“Yeah. I mean, my Dad was a Senju with some Namikaze heritage right? And my mom was an Uzumaki?” I stated, confused about where this was going. 

“That is correct” Grandma Tsunade confirmed. 

“Okay so?” I edged on. 

“What exactly do you know about the Namikaze clan?” she asked, ignoring my question. 

“Well, nothing really. Only that my paternal grandmother was a member and that some members of the Clan had the typhoon release kekkei genkai” I answered, still confused and mildly irritated. 

“We were going to go over the Clan once we started working with his kekkei genkais” Grandpa Tobirama explained and Grandma Tsunade nodded. 

“And the Uzumaki?” she asked. 

“They’re distantly related to the Senju clan. Members were skilled with fuinjutsu and had strong vitality and stamina” I replied. 

“Indeed. Their fuinjutsu skills were so powerful they were destroyed out of fear. As a tradition the Leaf kept close ties with the main branch of the Clan. Members would sometimes reside here or were entered into a political marriage between the two Villages, that’s why the Masked Storage Temple was built” Grandma Tsunade explained.

“Like how Mito Uzumaki married the First Hokage” I recited from memory. 

“Exactly” she said. 

“Your mother had been a member of the Main Household” Jiraiya revealed, uncharacteristically serious. 

“Really?” I said surprised. I hadn't known that.

He nodded stiffly in confirmation. 

“She was brought to the Leaf as part of an agreement with the Clan before it was destroyed” Jiraiya explained. 

“To be the next jinchuriki” I continued emotionlessly. 

“Exactly” he confirmed. 

“In an ironic twist she ended up marrying a Senju heir like her predecessor had” Gramps said, trying to cut away some of the tension. 

I smiled slightly at him. 

“Not that this stuff isn’t interesting and all, but what’s this got to do with why I’m here” I asked, starting to get impatient at their stalling. 

Nobody spoke for a couple seconds. 

“By birthright you’re the heir of the Senju clan” Grandma Tsunade hesitantly began. 

“I’m aware of that” I said, getting mildly frustrated again.

Grandma Tsunade just stared at me for a moment, as if she was trying to figure out the right words to say. 

Then she let out a large sigh and leaned back in her chair before focusing her eyes firmly on me. 

“You are also the heir of the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans” she stated bluntly.

No-one said a word. 

As I gazed into Grandma Tsunade’s eyes I could see the firmness in them. 

She wasn’t kidding. 

A quick glance at the other occupants of the room indicated much of the same. 

It wasn’t a joke. 

_It wasn’t a joke._

“We know this is a lot to take in, but rumors of your heritage have been going around and people are starting to find out things they shouldn’t be” Grandma Tsunade explained calmly. 

I continued to look at her expressionlessly. 

“How is that even possible?” I said, uncharastically monotone. 

“You are the only other known Namikaze left besides Jiraiya, and no Uzumaki we have found is descended from the Main House like you. As such, the position of heir falls to you for both” Grandpa Tobirama explained dispassionately. 

“That’s…” 

Stupid, I wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t form. 

“It’s a boatload and a half of political crap, but you would’ve been told when you were sixteen anyway, so it’s best if you just accept it, no matter how troublesome it is” Jiraiya stated bluntly. 

“Jiraiya!” Grandma Tsunade angrily chastised at his lack of tack. 

“As unfortunate as it is, it’s just how things are now, and Naruto needs to know that. Things won’t be as they were before, and we need to prepare him for that” Grandpa Tobirama explained.

I could almost feel myself floating. 

As if the conversation was miles away…Away from me.

“Unfortunately because of the rumors circulating around the Village we are going to have a public announcement about your heritage and status as a triple heir. We would like you to say a few words during the announcement. Tsunade and Tobirama-sensei have already agreed to assist you in preparing” Gramps said, sounding regretful but firm in the decision. 

My environment slowly began to blur as my anxiety continued to rise. 

“The announcement is going to be tomorrow afternoon” Grandma Tsunade revealed. 

Tomorrow…Tomorrow. 

Tomorrow. 

_Tomorrow._

“I’ll take you to a shop for an appropriate outfit on our way back to the Compound” Grandpa Tobirama said stiffly, awkwardly. 

That did it. 

Snapping out of my expressionless haze I clenched my fists in anger. 

“Like hell!” I shouted. 

The occupants of the room blinked at my first real expression of emotion since the conversation began. 

“I’m not some figure-head or show pony to be trotted around! Find another pet for your little show!” I spat out spitefully, Body Flickering out of the room immediately after.

I whipped through the Village faster than I ever had before, not caring about the huge amount of chakra I was using to fuel my jutsu. 

“Let them try to catch me. I’ll show them exactly why the ANBU call me the Trickster” I thought viciously.

**(Third POV)**

Tobirama immediately moved to go after his great-grandson, however, three bodies dropped down from the ceiling hideaways and blocked his path. 

“Genma, Raido, Iwashi, stand down!” Tsunade ordered, standing up from her seat.

“With all due respect Mam you all are the ones who need to stand down” Genma responded calmly, as if he wasn’t disobeying a direct order from his Hokage. 

“You all are aware of the penalties of your decision, correct?” Tsunade demanded with narrowed eyes. 

“We do” Raido stated, not backing down in the slightest. 

“Consider this us acting in Naruto’s best interest…and yours” Iwashi declared, keeping himself braced for an attack. 

“And how exactly do you reason such?” Tobirama curiously challenged. 

Before any of them could answer two more figures came into the room from a tile in the lower ceiling (Naruto’s favorite hiding spot). 

The new pair of invaders were quickly identified as a pissed off Sakura Haruno, and an enraged Sasuke Uchiha.

“What the hell is wrong adults?! _‘We know this is a lot to take in’_. The hell you know! You uproot everything a person ever thought and believed and you just expect them to just _‘accept it’_ because _‘it’s just how things are now’_? You expect them to bend to your decisions and changes when you never _once_ consulted the person who’s affected the _most_? You think just because your older our opinions and feelings don’t matter because _you_ know what’s best! If you’re as smart as you say then _you_ tell me the reason why Naruto had such a shit-ass childhood when all of you supposedly knew what was best for him?!” Sasuke roared. 

The kage-level shinobi in the room just balked at the young Uchiha, dumbfounded. 

“Sasuke’s right. Naruto doesn’t owe you _anything_. He’s not some ball you can volley back and forth at your own convenience. He’s a person with feelings, and right now you keep spiking him with so many hits they’re no longer bouncing off anymore. Has anyone here even _asked_ Naruto how he feels about everything going on yet?” Sakura accused. 

Said accusees winced at the accusation. 

“They don’t need to answer. Its written all over their faces” Sasuke said venomously as he turned for the door. 

“And just where do you think you’re going?” Tsunade demaded. 

“To find Naruto. Of course I don’t expect any of you to think of that” Sasuke spitefully mocked, exiting the room with Sakura following closely after him.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself” Iwashi complimented, folding his arms across his chest. 

“They’re not wrong. Naruto needs time to process all this alone. Taking him shopping and helping him rehearse a speech isn’t what he needs right now” Genma stated, chewing the end of the senbon in his mouth out of frustration. 

“The kid doesn’t have weeks to come to terms with everything that’s going on” Jiraiya pointed out.

As nice as that would be Danzo didn't leave them with too many options. 

“You’re right. He doesn’t. He has until _tomorrow_. He has until tomorrow to come to terms with having the responsibilities of three Clans weighed on his shoulders after he’s been called a defective pile of genes his entire life. He has until _tomorrow_ to put aside all the loneliness and hatred he’s ever felt because of this Village in order to create a politically acceptable speech where he’s probably going to get booed at anyway. _Tomorrow_. The only way you could’ve made this any worse is if you had organized it for tonight!” Iwashi ridiculed. 

“Putting it off any later wouldn’t have changed the fact it was going to happen” Tsunade countered tightly, silently cursing both Danzo and the position they had been forced into.

And their own poor handling of the situation.

“No, but right now Naruto has a day to figure out an answer for himself” Genma firmly reminded them. 

“And we can–”

Raido held up his hand to halt Tsunade's words. 

“Right now the best thing you can do is give him some space” Raido exclaimed. 

When the kages looked as if they were going to refute him he continued, “Trust us. We know from personal experience that Naruto isn’t going to want to see any of the people he’s associated with causing his internal conflicts and pain. Right now he needs to calm down on his own or through the help of someone else he trusts”.

“If that’s the case. Then I may have an idea” Shizune said, speaking up for the first time in the entire conversation.

**(Sasuke’s POV)**

'Where is he?' I thought worriedly. 

He wasn’t in any of his usual spots. In fact, most of his usual hangouts were covered in traps. 

I only barely managed to dodge that last bucket of orange paint before getting splattered. 

I hopped quickly from roof to roof trying to extend my senses to find Naruto. 

“Anything?” Sakura asked coming up next to me, the concern and desperation in her voice near palpable.

“No” I said shortly. 

Come on, I need to focus!

I know what Naruto’s chakra feels like up close. I needed to keep those senses open in case I pass him wherever he’s hiding himself. 

Come on, focus!

Right when I started to feel a strain I felt it. 

I halted in my run and turned to the direction I had felt the familiar flicker. 

The Great Stone Faces! Of course he would go there! 

“Let’s go Sakura” I said, sprinting off towards the mountain. 

We couldn’t waste any more time.

**(Iruka’s POV)**

He was right where I thought he’d be. 

Whenever something was troubling him he’d always sit atop the Fourth Hokage’s face on the Stone Monument. 

Naruto was lying down on the stones looking more lost than I’ve ever seen him. 

“Yo, Naruto” I greeted, taking a seat next to him. 

He didn’t greet me back. 

We sat in silence for a while, listening to the chirps of the passing birds and the colors of the sky hanger from blue to pink. 

I wanted him to talk to me, but I guess he needed a little push. 

“I heard from Shizune what happened” I told him. 

Naruto was silent a moment before he spoke. 

“I don’t know what to do Iruka-sensei” he said so quietly I had to strain to hear him. 

“Everyone keeps telling me I’m a Senju…And now everyone’s telling me that I have to be a Namikaze and an Uzumaki too. I thought I was Naruto Uzumaki…Now I don’t know who I am” Naruto said despondently. 

I looked at him sadly. 

It truly was always one trial after the next for him. 

I sucked in a large breath to steady my voice.

“What are you talking about? You are Naruto” I said with a firm lightheartedness. 

Naruto immediately sat up and looked at me in surprise. 

“Uzumaki, Namikaze, Senju. They are each a part of who you are. And each of those parts make up you. You don’t need to _try_ to be Naruto because you already are...No matter what you call yourself, no matter what surname you use you will always be _Naruto_ ” I said firmly, a smile spreading wide across my face. 

I watched as Naruto's face went from shocked to awe to scrunched up as he tried to fight away the tears that were pooling at the corners of his eyes. 

He threw himself at me and wrapped his arms around me in a desperate hug. 

For the next few minutes I was content to holding him close and giving him the comfort he needed to be whole again. 

When he finally pulled away he wiped his eyes and gave me that kilo-watt smile that could easily outshine the sun. 

“Thanks Iruka-sensei. I really needed that” Naruto said, pure gratefulness in his eyes. 

“Anytime you need to talk I’m here” I told him, bringing my hand up to pat him on the head, giving him my own kilo-watt smile.

“Naruto!”

“Naruto!”

We turned to see Sasuke and Sakura land behind us. 

“Are you alright?” Sakura asked worriedly. 

Sasuke gave his teammate a concerned once over as well. 

'It’s amazing just how far they’ve come' I thought proudly. 

“You betcha! I just had some things I needed to work out” Naruto said reassuringly. 

The two of them just gave him a skeptical look. 

Ignoring them, Naruto stood up and turned to me. 

“Thanks again Iruka-sensei...For everything” Naruto said, giving me a small bow. 

“If you’ve made your decision then I think you should head back to the Tower. Everyone’s worried about you” I told him. 

“Not just yet. There’s something I need to get first” Naruto said with a grin I knew only meant that he was up to something. 

“Naruto” I said warningly. 

“Don’t worry Iruka-sensei it’s nothing bad I promise. But I’m gonna need your guy’s help. The secretary doesn’t like me” Naruto chuckled, directing the last bit and Sasuke and Sakura. 

As the three of them ran off I brought my gaze back to the bird’s eyes view I had of the Village.

I couldn’t help but believe that the three of them are going to change the world someday.

**(Tobirama’s POV)**

We handled the entire situation wrong.

We had all been so concerned with outmaneuvering Danzo, and doing damage control that we took for granted the very person we were supposed to be helping.

More than anything I wanted to go after Naruto. 

But that was my emotions talking. 

The logical part of me grudgingly agreed with the Hokage Guard Platoon. 

The three guards who were also three of the remaining ten individuals I had felt with Senju chakra within the Village (along with Koharu's granddaughter). 

I can only assume that when they said that they understood Naruto’s position they were speaking of their own heritages as well. 

Speaking with them about the possibility of joining the Clan would have to wait for later. 

Especially considering the circumstances.

“This is?” Tsunade asked, looking down at the schematics. 

“A diagram of the new districts for the Uzumaki, Namikaze, and Uchiha clans near the current Senju Compound” I explained. 

“New districts?” Tsunade questioned, raising a curious eyebrow at me. 

“While the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans are next to nothing now, it is the hope that they will grow with time. As for the Uchiha clan, they would return to being near the Senju clan Compound as they used to be. However, that would be up to the Interim Clan Head” I said.

“Kushina would have loved to have her best friend living right next door” Jiraiya chuckled. 

“I’m sure her nephew will be just as open to the idea” Tsunade said. 

“Sensei, out of curiosity, you are aware that Shisui Uchiha is Kagami’s grandson, right?” Saru asked. 

I blinked in surprise. I thought back to when I first thought that there was something familiar about his appearance. 

“Mikoto was Kagami’s youngest child. As you already know Shisui is as dedicated to the Village as Kagami was” Saru said. 

“And Mikoto was Naruto’s godmother. Life truly does come full circle” I said amazed. 

“Indeed it does” Saru agreed. 

“We can plot out the land now, but I don’t know if the Namikaze and Uzumaki Compounds should be built just yet. However, if Shisui approves, construction on the new Uchiha district can begin now” Tsunade delegated. 

I nodded.

Suddenly the quick tapping of sprinting feet caught our ears. 

As the tapping continued to get louder I tilted my body position to face the office door, trying to shove away the slim hope that it was Naruto coming back.

Reaching out my senses I felt a very familiar chakra signature. 

**(Third POV)**

The Hokage’s Office door whirled open to reveal none other than Naruto himself. 

“Hey everybody! Sorry to keep you waiting so long! Naruto Senju is back!” Naruto declared confidently, shocking all those in the room. 

Tobirama’s eyes widened in both shock and hope. 

'That’s the first time he’s referred to himself as a Senju' he thought stunned. 

“Figure out who you are then squirt?” Jiraiya asked with a proud (relieved) grin. 

Naruto just gave him a foxy grin, and Jiraiya in turn gave him a confused eyebrow at his expression. 

“What are you talking about? I’m Naruto. I have been, and will always be Naruto! All that changed is that I just happened to have an extremely long signature now” Naruto chuckled, giving everyone his famous kilowatt smile as he held up a piece of paper. 

After a moment of shock Tsunade took the paper from his hands. The paper turned out to be a Change of Name form. And at the bottom was a name and signature authorization. 

“Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze-Senju. That’s one hell of a long surname kid” Jiraiya commented, whistling in appreciation. 

“It’s fine” Naruto said unphased. 

“Oh?” Hiruzen questioned.

“Cause no matter what, people _will_ remember my name!” Naruto declared.

Raido, Iwashi, and Genma hear couldn’t help but smile proudly at the young genin below.

“Very well, then, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze-Senju, we have a lot of work ahead of us” Tobirama declared in relief and happiness. 

Naruto gave him his best challenging grin.

“Bring it on!”

**(Amon Ayako’s POV)**

Stitch and thread. Stitch and thread. Stitch and thread.

Ding.

I slowed my output of chakra until the needles came to a halt. 

Opening my eyes I pushed myself off my extra-plush cushion on the ground. 

I was hoping to get this batch done before another customer came, but since when is life ever convenient? 

I grabbed my cane as I walked over to the doorway leading to the front of the store. 

“What’d ya need?” I said pushing aside the curtain, giving me my first good look at the person cutting into my work time. 

“Now here’s a face I never expected to see again” I commented, pushing myself forward with my cane. 

“Amon” Lord Tobirama acknowledged. 

“Wait, you know Old Man Amon?” Naruto questioned the former Senju leader. 

“His family has been the official seamsters for all the Clans in the Village since its founding” Lord Tobirama lectured. 

“Wow really!? That’s cool” Naruto said, sounding impressed. 

“Humph. Kids these days have no appreciation for the history of their own Village” I mocked. 

“Hey! It’s not like they teach us that at the Academy or anything!” Naruto angrily defended. 

“That’s not my problem now is it?” I retorted uncaringly. 

It was way too easy to rile him up. And way too much fun. 

Thankfully I’m too old to give a damn who I piss off anymore.

“So, how can I help the two of you?” I asked, getting right to the point. 

“We need to have a jacket emblazoned for noon tomorrow” Lord Tobirama replied. 

I gave the former Hokage a raised eyebrow. 

“That won’t be a problem, however I’m assuming the better question would be what emblem it is you’re asking for?” I commented, gazing at the three symbols floating next to the young blonde. 

Though invisible to those outside the Ayako Family, anyone who walks into the store is analyzed by our Family’s special Heritage Identification Seals etched into the structure of the building. 

My family came from a long line of civilian seamsters. When we had settled into the Village we ended up becoming the seamsters for all the Clans in the Village as well. 

Prior to that Clans either made their own clothes or sewed their emblems on themselves. 

With the Shinobi Wars it was easier to buy clothes than to make them (not to mention it helped the economy of the Village). 

My Father went to Lady Mito to learn how to use fuinjutsu in order to create a way for our Family to determine if the individuals walking into our store were being truthful about their heritage. 

And thus the Heritage Identification Seal came into fruition. 

The Seal analyzed each person’s chakra and DNA, breaking down the percentage of Clan inheritance, and combined it with blood seals so that only those of the Ayako Family could see the break down of inheritance (if there were any) that floated around the individual in the form of symbols and luminescent words of varying colors. 

It truly was a fuinjutsu masterpiece.

Since then my Family has created a few Sewing jutsu, using chakra flow to assist us in getting done multiple orders at once. 

Despite this we refused to be labeled a shinobi Clan. We are not ninja, just a Civilian Clan where a scant few older members happened to know how to use chakra. The majority preferred to use those new fangled sewing machines anyway. 

Distancing myself from memory lane I gave Naruto’s clothes another critical look. 

I have been sewing the Uzumaki clan symbol on Naruto’s clothes since he was born. 

Even so, my Family’s Seal made it so that I was one of the few people who knew Naruto’s actual heritage. 

Of course he also looks exactly like his Father. 

'Ignorance and denial are a powerful thing' I thought. 

As far as I was concerned, Naruto was a Senju first, Namikaze second, and Uzumaki third. 

Senju first as it was his Father’s true Clan, and Namikaze over Uzumaki (even though he was more Uzumaki than Namikaze or Senju) because it was the Clan name his Father publicly used.

“You know?” Naruto asked in surprise. 

“It’s my damn job to know. Hell I know more about a person’s heritage than they do when they walk in here” I stated irrately. 

Because of the special nature of the Seal it became my Family’s duty to monitor our customers in case any descendents of dwindling or extinct Clans turned up. 

'Not that the Council has been interested in such matters in recent years' I thought bitterly. 

Danzo was a cunning political manipulator. Over the course of forty years Danzo made it so that Clan problems were solely Clan problems, subtly causing a disconnection between external-clan relations and the influence of Clans in the Village outside the military.

'All to make it easier for him to take those that interest him' I thought. 

“Actually, we have a unique request for you” Lord Tobirama said.

“Unique huh?” I questioned curiously. 

“Yup!” Naruto said with a cheeky smile, placing a piece of paper onto the counter. 

Moving the paper closer to me I put on my bifocals and examined the design stenciled on the sheet. 

After taking a moment to process the meaning behind the design I looked up to give the two of them my full attention. 

“I have a better idea” I said, removing my glasses from my nose.

“What do you suggest?” Lord Tobirama asked.

**(Third POV)**

Naruto stood behind the raised stage, concealed behind the twenty foot red curtains. 

He was wearing a brand new white short sleeved kimono top with orange accents and orange and red flames adorning the bottom of the shirt, black pants and black sandals. 

Amon had specially crafted the outfit for him to wear today. 

In his words: “Clothes set the stage for the performance”.

Now the stage was set and it was time for his debut.

After this the illusion of normalcy would be shattered forever.

“We are here for you always” Tsunade told him. 

Naruto nodded stiffly.

Grandma Tsunade on his left, Grandpa Tobirama on his right.

“Let’s do this” Naruto stated.

As the three of them made their way up the back stairs to the platform on the Hokage Tower, the sun seemed to shine down a bit brighter, reflecting off of the triad of symbols on the back of his kimono top. 

The Senju crest, the Uzumaki spiral, and the Namikaze triskelion together in a triangular formation with the Senju crest on the top, the Namikaze triskelion on the lower left, and the Uzumaki spiral on the lower right.

A symbol of forever change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naruto has finally resolved some of his internal conflicts!
> 
> Now how is the Village going to react?


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> I've got another huge chapter for you.
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Sasuke’s POV)**

I growled in frustration as I leapt from branch to branch. 

I’d already been out here an hour and had nothing to show for it. 

Nothing! 

Finally fed up I weaved through the boar-dog-bird-monkey-ram hand signs. 

Biting down on my thumb I slammed my hand down onto the branch I had halted on. 

“Summoning jutsu” I called out, a puff of smoke appearing beneath my hand.

When the smoke cleared it revealed a small purple snake. 

“I need you to track down Anko and Kakashi for me. They are somewhere within the forest” I ordered. 

'For their sakes they better be anyway' I thought irately. 

“As you wish my Lord” Aoda replied, slithering off with surprising speed for a creature so small. 

Scouting out a good vantage point I hid in the leaves and waited for my summon to contact me. 

Taking in the silence, my mind started to work through the insanity of this past week.

_*Flashback*_

_I was sitting on the ledge of the building adjacent to the Hokage Tower, my legs swaying in tge open air._

_There was no way I was going to settle in with the crowd with the announcement that is about to take place. I refused to be crushed in the chaos._

_I watched as Naruto walked out with the Second and Fifth Hokages at his sides, adorning new robes for the occasion (new robes that of course contained orange). I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that._

_“Welcome. I thank you all for gathering here today for this announcement” Tsunade began, her voice echoing through the microphone._

_All whispers amongst the crowd silenced immediately._

_“The reason I have called you all here today is in regards to a hidden Clan heir within the Village” Tsunade revealed her tone serious yet neutral._

_Confused whispers and speculations immediately picked back up again._

_**“It’s him. That Uzumaki boy. It has to be”** _

_**“Why else would that boy be up on the platform?”** _

_**“So the rumors are true”** _

_They were all pathetic._

_“Or I should say, the sole heir of three Clans” Tsunade continued, as if she didn’t hear the Village gossiping like old women._

_Her statement only fueled the fire, the whispers picking up into less than silent conversations._

_“The individual’s status as a triple heir, along with his parentage was kept a secret from the Village in order to protect him from his parent’s enemies and anyone who’d want to take advantage of him. While we had wished to keep this a secret for a few more years, rumors have been going around the Village that need to be addressed” Tsunade explained, her tone still neutral, but it was clear she was not very happy either._

_The voices and speculations of the crowd increased to a dull roar._

_“So it is my honor to present to you the son of Minato Namikaze-Senju and Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze-Senju. The heir of the Senju, Uzumaki, and Namikaze Clans” Tsunade declared, placing a hand around Naruto’s shoulder and pushing him next to her, the Second Hokage moving forward next to him._

_As I had expected. Chaos._

_No._

_It was far worse than that._

_The Villagers had all but turned into a mob._

_Spouting insults and a few brave morons even threw things._

_I looked over to Naruto and could see the hurt acceptance on his face._

_He was just going to fucking take it!_

_He wasn’t even going to try and defend himself!_

_I grit my teeth hard._

_“Idiot” I muttered darkly, leaping over to the Tower and using my chakra to sprint up the side of the building._

_As I reached the top I jumped over the railing and landed in front of Naruto._

_“Sasuke? What the hell are you doing here?!” Naruto demanded in surprise._

_I huffed out a scoff._

_“Saving your ass as usual” I replied cockily._

_“Huh?” Naruto said confused._

_I grabbed the microphone and focused lightning chakra into my hand, causing the microphone static to amplify to painful levels._

_After about ten seconds I halted the electricity output, satisfied that the crowd had been successfully shut up._

_“You people are pathetic” I stated in the microphone without shame._

_I heard Naruto anime-drop behind me._

_“I thought you said you were here to help! Even I know that’s not what you’re supposed to say!” Naruto shouted._

_I ignored him._

_“The Village was founded by both the Uchiha and Senju clans in order to create the foundations for a better life for their children. To stop the us-versus-them mentality. The Village soon expanded to include more than just them. I may be wrong but I’m pretty sure that one of the original laws that is still in effect in allowing citizenship into the Village is that you must be willing to put aside any ill feeling that you have for another Clan or person and be able to live together in peace, isn’t that right Lord Second?” I questioned smugly._

_“That is correct” he confirmed, with a glint in his eyes that knew where I was going with this._

_“With that in mind anyone who just tossed out an insult or threat just now would technically be considered traitors considering you are going against the beliefs and laws that this Village is founded on” I mused, pulling from all the knowledge I had from watching my Father and fellow clansmen work in the Konoha Military Police Force (Back when **that** had been my dream). _

_Protests erupted from the Villagers._

_“Of course the real fact of the matter is that all of you abused a child, and now that it’s been revealed that he’s actually **not** trash you’re all lashing out because you don’t want to accept the truth. That if it is in fact true and you all were wrong then that would mean you treated the son of your beloved Fourth Hokage like shit when he trusted you all to honor his last request and treat his son like a hero” Tsunade stated bitingly. _

_For the first time since the start of the announcement there was silence._

_“Even if Naruto wasn’t **my** great-grandson or the son of the Fourth Hokage you all still gravely mistreated a **human being**. A **child** no less. I can understand being misguided by fear, but if Naruto was actually the Nine-tails as you all thought he was don’t you think that he would’ve already killed all of you and destroyed the Village for all the abuse you showed him?” Tobirama challenged, his eyes narrowed dangerously._

_I could almost feel the audience flinch at that proclamation._

_They thought Naruto was the Nine-Tails? What?_

_Suddenly a pink and red blur appeared atop the tower._

_“Sakura!” Naruto stated in surprise, breaking out of his heartfelt awe._

_Sakura all but pushed me out of the way as she stalked over to the microphone._

_This was going to be good._

_“Frankly all you ungrateful ingrates should be thanking your lucky stars that Naruto chose to lay down his life for this Village despite everything you’ve all done to him. No. You should be **honored** that he wants to protect all your lives with everything he has. He risked his life and saved this Village from the Shikaku Demon. He’s trained harder than anyone every day of his life so he can be strong enough to be that protector and show all of you that he isn’t a monster. Regardless of whose kid he is and what Clan he’s a part of means nothing. He was a hero twelve years ago and he’s a hero now” Sakura declared, her voice confident and assured._

_My eyes widened in shock, finally realizing what Sakura had likely deduced herself._

_The Nine-Tails hadn't been killed...It had been sealed inside Naruto._

_I couldn’t help but give a satisfied smirk at the audience’s silence, although it was like a phantom stab hearing Sakura mention Naruto’s victory (not mine) over Gaara._

_“Man what a drag” a voice sounded._

_And low and behold Shikamaru ‘Shirker’ Nara had taken the stage._

_“This is gonna be a pain, but to make my point quick and simple for all you shinobi out there. It’s the same concept as a sealing scroll and a kunai. The kunai is sealed within the scroll, but the scroll isn’t actually the kunai. Naruto is the scroll in that scenario” Shikamaru explained, sounding much like he was lecturing a dim child, “And if that’s too complicated for you civilians to understand its like sealing jam in a jar. The jar contains the jam but the jar isn’t actually jam”_

_Leave it to a Nara to make everyone seem like fools._

_“I have to say that I am displeased by my own Clan as well” another voice sounded._

_Turning my head I saw that it was none other than Shino Aburame._

_“Naruto’s…situation is very similar to that of my Clan’s. That is because we are also treated as outcasts for carrying insects within our own bodies even though that does not make us insects ourselves” Shino defended, his tone casual and blunt, but the traces of disappointment and reprimand were clear._

_Damn, that’s got to be a blow to the Aburame Clan pride._

_“Can we start wrapping this up? This whole thing is such a drag” Shikamaru said with an exasperated exhale._

_For once I agreed with him._

_Tsunade nodded, a proud smile on her face but she replaced it with a more serious expression._

_“Now before anyone can contest Naruto’s place as a triple heir I will explain how it is possible” Tsunade began, “While Naruto would normally only be the heir of the Senju clan, the fact is that he is the only known surviving descendant of the Main Branch of the Uzumaki clan after their demise, and the only other survivor of the Namikaze clan besides Jiraiya means the burden falls to him”_

_Tsunade paused to take a breath._

_“It has already been confirmed that due to Naruto’s chakra and kekkei genkai inheritance that he is capable of producing heirs for all three clans if done properly under the CRA” Tsunade stated with the hint of a bitter tone._

_Now **that** got **everyone’s** attention._

_I clenched my fists angrily at the announcement._

_That damned Act pissed me off more than anything else!_

_To me it was nothing more than the Council’s way of controlling us, using us like rats for their own purpose._

_Not only that, but it made interacting with others annoyingly complicated as well. Especially those whose parents pushed their daughters at me in the hopes of furthering their own political status._

_Suddenly seven more foot falls sounded against the concrete. My mind halted its spiraling fury to turn its attention outwards once again._

_The rest of our class' Rookies and even Team Guy had joined us on stage._

_'Well, looks like the gang’s all here' I thought with a scoff._

_“You people disgust me!” Ino declared in sharp disgust, “I heard some of you plotting to marry off Naruto to your daughters for prestige as if you hadn't just sneered at his existence ten minutes ago! What the hell is wrong with all of you!? He may now be under the CRA but he still gets to choose his brides! And you better believe hell will freeze over before I let anyone force a marriage onto one of my comrades for a profit!”_

_“I believe I speak for all of us here when I say that none of us will stand back and allow the Village to treat Naruto poorly anymore” Neji declared, crossing his arms over his chest._

_Suddenly it wasn't roars of hate or protest, or whispers of speculation and confusion._

_The audience was now murmuring their interest in the fact that **six** Clan heirs (and two secondary heirs) were now speaking in Naruto’s defense, and whether or not we were all friends._

_“You all better believe we’re all friends!” Naruto loudly declared, finally stepping forward to speak into the microphone for the first time throughout this whole mess._

_“We’ve all fought side-by-side with each other. Protected each other. Just like we’re all going to protect this Village. Nobody can do anything alone. But together we can make a difference. And that’s what we’re going to do! We’re all going to keep getting stronger so we can protect this Village together!” Naruto declared with an energized determination only he seemed to possess._

_“You better remember our names, because we are the Konoha Twelve!”_

_*Flashback End*_

Ever since the Hokage’s speech to the public the Village has been consumed by a sickening air of guilt, denial, and ass-kissery. 

Though to be fair a majority of the villagers don’t know how to treat Naruto at all, most of them resorting to treating him with an unsure indifference without actually ignoring him. 

Though it wasn’t without hesitation on their part, which was to be expected. After all, you can’t expect that almost nine years of misplaced fear and anger will just go away with one speech. 

However things weren’t just tense for Naruto anymore. 

Internal Clan tensions now borderlined on stifling due to the very public reprimand the 'Konoha Twelve' had given denouncing their own Clan's past actions.

Not to mention some of the other Clans seemed to be holding a measure more of amnesty towards the sudden reveal of a 'prestigious' Senju triple heir, complaining more openly of a power imbalance between the Clans.

While there has always been a disparity of sorts depending on your background and Clan/Family's prestige it had always taken the form of silent resentment or rivalry (at least in my lifetime anyway).

Now apparently the unspoken rule that each Clan kept to themselves was broken.

Now as a result the Elder Council decided that they should be taking more of an active interest in _all_ those who qualify for the CRA. 

It took everything I had to not leap across the tea table and slit their throats right then and there. 

Everything since the announcement has only made me angrier. 

The Village. Its citizens. The Council. The laws. Myself.

Four kekkei genkai. 

Naruto had _four_ kekkei genkai. 

The Namikaze clan’s Typhoon release, the Uzumaki clan’s Negation release (whatever the hell that was), and the Senju clan’s Wood release and Regenerative Healing.

It was impossible.

I can accept his heritage.

The burdens they give him.

But it was impossible!

There’s no way someone like him could have _four_ kekkei genkai!

It shouldn’t even be biologically possible!

Naruto couldn’t have four kekkei genkai. It was unheard of! 

He was a _loser_! 

He had to train his ass into the ground in order to gain any skills that he had. 

People with kekkei genkai are always talented in some way. 

He was a _talentless loser_ , he couldn’t be some secret prodigy! 

If he was…If he was…If he was then what did that make me?

I needed to get stronger. 

_"You are still weak little brother"_

I was supposed to be the stronger one. 

_"Sasuke had the best scores of all the graduating students"_

I will get stronger. 

_"Why did I think you would be like Itachi?"_

I will show them all that I am the stronger one. 

That my existence wasn’t extra.

“You’re supposed to be searching for us yourself! Not your summons!” Anko shouted angrily, her kick knocking me off my branch as I (barely) blocked it, silently cursing myself for my inattention.

“I’m not a damn sensor-type!” I growled back as I landed on the ground with a thud.

“Huh? What do you mean you’re not a sensor-type? From what I hear you were able to locate Naruto’s chakra signature twice” Anko demanded. 

“I’m not saying it makes sense it’s just what it is!” I argued back irritated at her, at myself, at the world.

“Well in any case, sensing isn’t as easy for some people as it is for others...Regardless, everyone is capable of sensing chakra to a certain degree. You may not be a sensor-type but we’ll keep pushing you until we find your limit” Kakashi drolled calmly.

I growled again in frustration, but got up again none-the-less. 

“That being said, I think it’s time the three of us took a lunch break” Kakashi decided, giving me a knowing look. 

“Well why didn’t you say so!? To the Dango Shop we go!” Anko cheered. 

My groan was deep and sincere.

As we got closer to the dreaded Shop I couldn’t help but give Kakashi a piece of my mind. 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually miss ramen” I ground out. 

“Don’t let Naruto hear you say that. He'll stock your cabinets with those instant cups of his” Kakashi commented, his nose still in his signature orange book. 

“I hate sweets” I grumbled. 

“Hm? I’m pretty sure they have a new bitter line of dango for those haters of happiness like yourself” Kakashi drolled, sarcasm dripping from his voice. 

“Normal people can only eat so much dango before they get sick” I commented, glaring at the back of Anko’s head. 

“Why, is the great Sasuke Uchiha actually admitting he’s nothing more than average?” Kakashi teased. 

I shifted my glare to him instead. 

The bastard just gave me his smiling eye. 

“Kurenai! Good to see someone else who appreciates dango” Anko said cheerfully. 

“Unlike these two” Anko said, turning around to give us a mock glare. 

“Good to see you too Anko” Kurenai replied, an amused smile adorning her lips.

“It’s definitely unusual to see the three of you together” Kurenai commented curiously, staring at me and Kakashi.

“I’m the brat’s new mentor. Though I’ve yet to succeed in beating manners into his thick skull” Anko stated with an annoyed pout.

“Really now?” Kurenai said, giving me a curious glance. 

“Well, keep up the good work. I’ve got to get back to training my own squad anyhow” she said before Body Flickering away. 

“Alright boys! In we go!” Anko shouted, fist pumping the air.

Ugh. I was surrounded by fools.

**(Kurenai’s POV)**

I shouldn’t be as relieved as I am that Anko and Kakashi didn’t catch Asuma and I together. 

The two of us had just finished a clandestine date when they stopped by. 

I wasn’t ashamed to be dating Asuma. Not at all. 

The problem was the fact the two of us have been practically dancing around each other since our days at the Academy. 

Everyone always assumed that we’d eventually get together, and neither of us really wanted to deal with all the fanfare that came with making our relationship public. 

Besides, neither of us truly knew whether or not it would work out with us trying to be more than friends. 

Back at the Academy Asuma had been my first friend. 

When we graduated the Academy at nine years old, the two of us were placed on the same team alongside Raido, allowing our friendship to grow even stronger.

My Father had approved of our friendship (though I always did suspect that he hoped that it would turn into more). 

Though the Yuhi Family wasn’t a Clan we still were a prominent Shinobi Family that borderlined Clan status due to our hereditary looks and potential for genjutsu.

Truthfully we could petition for Clan status now, but we didn’t yet have any Clan techniques (a fact I’ve been working on), and we wanted the assurance having developed some would provide when we do.

Though my Father could have exploited the political benefits of Asuma and I's friendship he was first and foremost a talented jonin who believed that protecting and teaching the children of the Leaf was the most important thing a shinobi could do. 

As such I had a fairly normal childhood growing up until my graduating class started getting more involved in the War efforts. 

For the most part we weren’t sent out directly into active warzones, however, on my Team’s mission as extra guards to the Fire Daimyo Raido was hit by a stray molten rock from a Mist ninja who was trying to assassinate the Feudal Lord. 

Considering all the classmates we had lost by the end of the War we had been happy that the encounter would only cost him a scar across his nose and not his life.

Participating in the War left little time for romantic thoughts, however sometime after the War and after the Fourth Hokage’s death I realized that I had budding feelings for my best friend. 

But before I could even work up the courage to risk our friendship and ask him on a date he had a falling out with Hiruzen and left to become one of the Twelve Ninja Guardians when we were nineteen. 

I knew that he had caught the Daimyo’s eye back during the War, however he never told me about being offered to join his Guard and that stung. 

He left without even saying goodbye. Only occasionally sending a letter or two throughout his absence. 

He returned to the Village again permanently on my twenty-fourth birthday, but by then things had changed. 

Though my feelings for him had remained over the years I was still hurting from his departure. 

So our dance continued for years until our fight with Itachi and Kisame. 

Having my life endangered right in front of him prompted Asuma to ask me out on a date. 

At first I was tempted to decline the offer, but a part of my heart yearned to see where this would go. 

Neither of us were big on PDA and that suited us just fine. 

The two of us had too much history not to take things slowly anyway. 

And so far I’d been happy. 

Something I could tell my Squad had noticed as well.

Looking down at my Squad through the trees I couldn’t help but feel pride in how far my students have come since their time at the Academy. 

Of course people were still baffled by the fact a genjutsu master was placed in charge of a tracking squad. 

What most didn’t realize was that I was a skilled sensor _and_ that I could use my genjutsu skills to both scout and track targets. 

My genjutsu techniques were unique in that small bits of my chakra were left behind in a person’s system even after they dispelled my illusions, allowing me to use my sensory technique to track them across distances. 

It was a skill I kept close to my chest seeing as it’s my hope to take my Family to the level of Clan worthy someday in the future. 

My squad was certainly surprised to discover just how qualified I was to teach them. 

While I specifically wanted to teach Hinata, contrary to what most people believed, the teams weren’t already set in stone based on past traditions.

In fact, as I helped group the genin, one of the top two possibilities for what squad I would receive included a strong genjutsu-potential team with Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Hinata Hyuga. 

I couldn’t help but smirk at that. If that had happened Kakashi would have been given the tracking squad with Naruto, Kiba, and Shino as his students. 

'I’m not sure if Shino could’ve handled that much noise' I thought, giggling softly to myself. 

Although it made sense for Kakashi to be the head of the tracking squad it still baffles me why Naruto would’ve been placed on the team. 

Yes I knew he had a high trap-making potential and that he could be very elusive and stealthy if he wanted to be, but that wasn’t the same as having some kind of sensory skills. 

'Although considering his horrendous chakra control (and lineage) it wouldn’t be so far out of the box to say that Naruto had the potential to be a sensor-type. Its just his chakra control had gotten in the way' I thought. 

Truthfully though, I (along with everyone else) correctly assumed that either Kakashi, Yamato, or Shisui would ultimately end up being Naruto’s sensei, though I know that Asuma would’ve loved to train another physically inclined wind-user like himself. 

And while an all genjutsu team would’ve been nice, the teams were ultimately decided based on what would help them grow the most on a personal level.

Hinata needed an affable instructor who could work around her self-esteem issues through encouragement, Kiba needed someone calm and patient to reign in his impulsivity, and Shino needed someone friendly enough to bring him out of his introverted shell. 

The three of them have come so far in such a short amount of time, and it was an amazing feeling to be there every step of the way to watch them grow. 

Seeing Shino publicly stand up for Naruto against his Clan showed just how much he had changed. Doubly so for Hinata. 

'Sometimes I wonder if they even know the impact they have on each other' I thought, watching how Kiba was waiting next to his teammates instead of bounding through the trees like he usually does when he’s waiting for me to arrive. 

Deciding it was time to start group training I Body Flickered into the clearing. 

“Finally! I was starting to worry you were going to cancel practice Sensei” Kiba excitedly exclaimed. 

“You three definitely seem eager today” I commented with a small smile. 

“Just you wait Sensei! The next time the Chunin Exams come around I’m gonna pass for sure!” Kiba confidently declared. 

“That reminds me. Make sure you all congratulate Shikamaru when you get the chance” I casually noted.

“Congratulate him...For what?” Kiba asked confused.

**(Third POV)**

“To be honest with you, I wasn’t sure what to do at first...With the Final Exam suspended it was the opinion of many that none of the students should pass this time around. And that included you” Tsunade began, “However, the Third Hokage had nothing but the highest praise for your match. He had meant to recommend you for Chunin, but with everything going on he never had the chance before I took office. In fact, all those who observed the fight, and your proctors felt the same way”

Each of the former Chunin Exam Proctors settled against the four walls of the Hokage’s Office smirked.

“So in this case my opinion really doesn’t matter” Tsunade stated, folding her hands together. 

“From this day forth I hope that you will strive to achieve a level of excellence worthy of that headband. Congratulations. As of this moment you stand a chunin” Tsunade awarded.

**(Shikamaru’s POV)**

“You know even a guy who’s as lazy as you are seems respectable all of a sudden” Ino exclaimed, grinning wide. 

“It doesn’t suit ya” Choji teased, laughing a bit at my expense. 

“It’s not that funny” I growled, embarrassed by my teammates. 

“Funny or not, let’s have a toast and celebrate Shikamaru’s outstanding promotion to Chunin” Asuma said, giving me a wink. 

“Yeah! Let’s eat!” Choji cheered, grabbing a bunch of barbeque pieces at once with his chopsticks. 

“Choji hey!” Ino complained, “Lay off the meat, we’re about to have a toast”

“Oh sorry. I just didn’t want it to get burned” Choji justified, the chopsticks still hanging out of his mouth. 

“There’s plenty of meat for everyone. Dig in” Asuma placated. 

“All right!” Choji cheered, happily stuffing piece after piece into his mouth. 

“You’re gonna end up in the hospital again Choji. Haven’t you ever heard of savoring your food?” Ino chastised. 

“Don’t worry. I figure the more bites I get to eat the more bites I get to savor, right?” Choji defended as he placed another few pieces onto his plate. 

Asuma just gave a long drawn out huff.

“Aw come on Choji that’s the last piece of meat and I cooked it” Ino whined, trying to snatch the piece away from him with her own chopsticks. 

“The last piece of meat. This bite shall be the most sacred of our entire meal and must be consumed with utmost care. So back off sister. I’m not handing this morsel over to anyone!” Choji declared, giving Ino a challenging glare as he placed the final piece in his mouth. 

“Why do you have to act like such an idiot?!” Ino screamed, “Choji, pulling ridiculous stuff like this is why everyone always makes fun of you! You are such a fa– ”

“Ino don’t say that word” I reprimanded, cutting in before she said taboo word number one, “And Choji settle down. A meal’s not a battle. Stop being such a pain, we’re trying to relax here”

Ino settled back down into her seat with a small huff, but was noticeably calmer than a second ago. 

Choji just chuckled. 

Asuma just sighed again at our antics, looking done with the world and grateful at the same time.

Now that the restaurant was out of danger I began to soak in the dynamics of my team once again. 

It was a stark contrast between our interactions now and back when we first graduated. 

Ino used to berate Choji all the time for his weight even though she knew his Clan techniques required him to be a little huskier. 

Not to mention Ino used to hardly eat any of the meat when we went out for team nights due to her insistence on dieting in order to look good for boys. 

Likewise, Choji had spent most of his time more concerned about when his next meal was then on training.

_*Flashback*_

_I was walking out of the restroom stalls when I overheard what sounded like Ino and Choji talking._

_“You’re so lucky that you don’t have to worry about what or how much you eat. Let me tell you, being on a diet can be pretty tough” Ino sighed._

_“Well then, why are you on a diet then?” Choji questioned confused._

_“We diet for one very important reason Choji” Ino said with a dramatic pause, “So we can look as cute as we can for the boy we like”_

_I almost sweat-dropped at her blush and the sweetness of her voice. No doubt she was thinking of Sasuke._

_“But what if the person you like isn’t into super-skinny girls?” Choji countered._

_“Humph. Well in the first place most boys aren’t as fa– I’m mean most of the boys I know like girls who look fit. Anndd that’s true the other way around as well” Ino said, giving Choji a sly look._

_I fought the urge to roll my eyes._

_'What other guys does she actually know besides me and Choji?' I thought with a scoff._

_“You might think about taking a little better care of your body Choji or else you won’t get any girls” Ino said as if she was imparting the wisdom of the world as she walked away._

_“Humph she has no clue. Despite what most women seem to believe, men don’t always go for the skinny girls. Most guys I know like girls with a little meat on their bones. It just looks healthier...Oh yeah, and the reverse is true too ya know” I said with a wink of my own._

_“I bet anything that she’d be twice as popular if she’d put on a few pounds instead of starving herself. She should eat” I said, puffing out my cheeks._

_That got a laugh out of Choji._

_“You’re a funny guy when you wanna be Shikamaru” he said between chuckles, the 'thank you' clear in his eyes._

_“Forget what Asuma said earlier about how you should train more and eat less. I’m just being me, and should just keep being you. It’s stupid to talk about all the things that you’re not” I said, walking over to him and placing my hand on his shoulder._

_“Asuma says a lot of things. But don’t take’m too seriously. Just live your life, eat your food and take things easy” I told him._

_Choji just gave me a wide smile._

_“See ya later. I’m headed home” I said, turning to walk away._

_“Shikamaru”_

_I turned back around to face Choji._

_“Well, what is it?” I asked after a moment._

_“Just um, good luck with your training” he said, but I could see the gratefulness shining in his eyes._

_'You’re a good guy Choji' I thought as I walked away._

_*End Flashback*_

'We’ve all changed so much and I’ve only started noticing it recently' I thought. 

“You’re going to help me with my training after this right Asuma-sensei?” Choji asked, swallowing the bite in his mouth. 

“Why don’t you digest your food a little first before we get down to any work?” Asuma suggested with a smirk.

“Sounds like a plan! I’m not gonna just continue to sit back and let you geniuses continue to hog the spotlight” Choji declared, finishing up some rice. 

“Geniuses?” I mimed back, confused about what he was talking about. 

“Yeah. You, Naruto, Lee, and Hinata” Choji said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Huh? What are you talking about Choji? I mean I kinda get where you’re coming from with how far they’ve all come since the Academy, but geniuses?” Ino questioned. 

“Yeah. They’re all geniuses. Shikamaru is too” Choji said simply. 

“Huh?” I said confused.

“That’s right. Even I can see that you’re way more amazing than Sasuke or that Neji guy could ever dream of being. I bet if you were motivated enough you would be able to outsmart both of them easy” Choji praised, sounding confident.

“Thanks, but I’m pretty sure you’re giving me too much credit here” I said, giving him a skeptical eyebrow.

“Maybe, but you _are_ the only one of us who actually became a Chunin. Not Neji. Not Sasuke. _You_ ” Choji pointed out. 

“He does have a point” Ino commented, sounding only minimally reluctant. 

“Maybe so, but I’m probably not as good a fighter as you are. If I had been facing off against you in the Exam I’d probably have given up the fight” I countered back.

“Choji has a valid point Shikamaru. And it’s not always combat strength that wins the day. It’s better to have a General that plays things smart, then rushes forward with their fists” Asuma lectured.

“Maybe so, but all being a Chunin means is more work for me” I grumbled.

**(Shikaku’s POV)**

'Under different circumstances I might be congratulating my son on his promotion right now. Instead I’m thinking ten different ways I can up his training schedule' I thought bitterly. 

Even with me working on a strategy against Danzo anything could happen, and I refused to let my son be defenseless. 

He needed to be ready for the possibility of a Civil War. 

A possibility that was becoming more and more likely to occur every day. 

Internal and external Clan conflicts.

Civil unrest among the civilians.

Though Shikamaru and his friends hadn't intended for it, their public defense of Naruto's rights stirred the metaphorical pot exactly the way Danzo had hoped.

As such I’ve been making contingency plans in order to protect the civilians as well as contain Danzo’s forces as quickly as possible in order to contain damages and keep the loss of life at a minimum. 

I strode through the front doors of the Intelligence Division, walking the corridors I had memorized years ago. 

I needed to see where Inoichi and Ibiki were in their plans on containment and rehabilitation.

**(Sakura’s POV)**

“Interrogation means more than just torturing a person and hoping they’ll cave” Ibiki-sensei began, “It is as much psychological as it is physical”

Today we were back in the Intelligence Division HQ. 

We tended to alternate locations between the training fields and here. 

Most of the time Ibiki-sensei left working on increasing my physical strength and tanto skills for outside and everything else for the HQ, but I wasn’t about to set that as a rule. 

“As a medic you know the places on the human body that a person feels the most pain. Use that knowledge to your advantage” Ibiki-sensei stated. 

'Places like fingertips, the heel, and privates' I noted silently to myself. 

“And never forget that the most excruciating pain is psychological and emotional. If possible use their fears and insecurities against them in order to make them break” Ibiki-sensei lectured. 

'Which is why Dosu collapsed into a coma after I used my jutsu on him' I thought, containing a wince. 

“You’ve already mastered the basic Interrogation Genjutsu, the Time Reversal Technique, and the Paralysis jutsu. So today we will begin experimenting with your kekkei genkai” Ibiki-sensei exclaimed. 

I couldn’t help the burst of excitement that welled up in my chest. 

Up until now we had only focused on techniques that would make using my kekkei genkai easier, but we had yet to actually start working with it.

“It’ll be an interesting experience that’s for sure” a voice sounded. 

I turned to see Mr. Yamanaka walking towards us. 

“Mr. Yamanaka, what are you doing here?” I asked him. 

I knew that he was the Head of the Analysis Unit, but I didn’t understand what he was doing _here_. 

“Inoichi will be assisting us with delving more into your kekkei genkai. There is not much known about it seeing as you are only the third individual to be documented with it and the previous two died with the secrets of it close to their chests” Ibiki-sensei stated. 

I nodded silently at the bluntness of his statement. 

Root. 

The only person alive who probably had any knowledge of my kekkei genkai scared the hell out of my family. 

And me.

I don’t care how much I want to learn about my kekkei genkai, I would never be desperate enough to go to _him_. 

“Truth be told I’m incredibly curious how your kekkei genkai works seeing as you were able to expel my daughter from your mind” Mr. Yamanaka admitted. 

“You want to go inside my head?” I questioned. 

“Yes, but only if you are comfortable with it” Mr. Yamanaka said. 

“It’s fine” I told him. 

“You are sure?” Ibiki-sensei asked, raising an eyebrow at my quick response. 

I gave him an affirmative nod. 

“I’ve known Mr. Yamanaka since I was five. I trust him” I said confidently. 

Mr. Yamanaka gave me a grateful smile.

“Alright then. Let’s get started shall we? If you could take a seat here we can begin” Mr. Yamanaka instructed. 

Seating myself in the chair I awaited further commands, butterflies swarming my stomach, both excited and nervous at the same time as well as anxious to what we would find.

“I will be using my Clan’s Psycho Mind Transmission technique in order to go inside your mind. From there we will play things by ear and see just how much control you have within your own mind and against those invading it” Mr. Yamanaka explained. 

“Got it” I said. 

“Alright then,” he said, placing his hand atop my head. 

I closed my eyes at the strange sensation. 

It felt like a foreign energy was pulling its way into my body, into my mind...Which it probably was. It wasn’t painful, just pressure.

**(Inoichi’s POV)**

I was relieved to hear that Sakura had faith in me that I wouldn’t hurt her. 

I got to watch her and my daughter grow up together and it was nice to hear her confidence in me. 

Even during the two years they had broken off their friendship to become rivals my wife and I still remained good friends with Kizashi and Mebuki. 

I was definitely happy that the two of them had rekindled their friendship, though I always figured they would once they got past their preteen years and delved into the shinobi profession a little more. Hence why I never interfered even when their insults towards each other started getting ridiculous. 

I knew the anger between them was misplaced and once the two of them grew into themselves a bit more I was confident that their friendship would start to come back. And though I’m glad that it did, I’m also happy that they decided to continue being rivals. Seeing Sakura mature helped Ino to mature as well. 

Something I was _entirely_ grateful for.

Especially considering I couldn’t figure out how to convince her to stop her pointless dieting. 

A fact Ibiki and Anko continuously gibed at me for. 

What interrogation expert can’t convince his own daughter to eat right? 

They had a good laugh about that at my expense for _days_. 

None-the-less I was happy that Sakura was confident that I could help her without hurting her. Hopefully I will be able to translate the steady confident hand I have now to when I have to help those in Root. 

But I didn’t want to think about that now. 

Right now I was delving into Sakura’s mind, pushing my consciousness into hers. 

Entering her mind everything was dark. 

'Hm. Usually a mindscape of some kind appears…I guess I’ll just have to delve a little deeper then' I thought, literally floating down into the dark abyss. 

“I don’t think so buddy!” a voice growled, sounding strangely like an angry Sakura. 

Suddenly a black and white outlined figure appeared in front of me. 

The spectre looked like a copy of Sakura, but without her headband. Instead the kanji for Inner Sakura was marked on its forehead.

My eyes widened in surprise. 

My jutsu should be suppressing Sakura’s own mind and spirit. 

It seems my daughter may be right in that Sakura possesses more than one spirit within her. 

“You picked the wrong mind to invade buddy! I don’t care if you are Ino’s dad! I’ll show you, you shouldn’t be trying to poke around other people’s memories!” the spectre shouted angrily. 

“Now hold on just a minute! I’m just here to help Sakura figure out how her kekkei genkai works. I promise I won’t do anything to hurt her” I said quickly back, hoping the spectre could appeal to reason. 

The Spectre Sakura seemed to calm down a bit, folding her arms and giving me a suspicious glare. 

“I’m listening” Spectre Sakura said shortly. 

“Do you happen to know when you first appeared” I tried asking her. 

It was worth a shot to ask. 

Spectre Sakura glared at me for another moment before she suddenly faded away entirely. 

“Wha–”

Before I could get my sentence out the darkness around me shifted into a myriad of colors. 

Suddenly I was standing in the Academy schoolyard during what looked like recess. 

Looking around I saw what seemed to be a young, eight year old version of Sakura sitting on one of the benches.

'I must be in a memory' I thought amazed. 

Apparently the Spectre Sakura had control over what people can see and not see within Sakura’s mind. 

That must’ve been why there wasn’t any kind of mindscape when I first arrived. 

_'I’ll wait for Ino to get back with her bento before I start eating' a cheery voice echoed._

It sounded like a young Sakura although her lips didn’t move. 

My eyes widened at the implication. 

I was hearing her thoughts that occurred during the memory. 

_“Well if it isn’t little miss Billboard Brow” a purple-haired girl said, walking over to Sakura, two other girls were flanking her._

The three of them looked to be at least four years her senior. 

_“That’s a cute shirt” the girl said, smiling meanly._

_Sakura flinched a bit, grabbing onto the material._

_'What’s wrong with my shirt?' she wondering self-consciously._

Taking another look at Sakura’s clothes I saw she was wearing a red mid-sleeved shirt and light pink capris. I recognized them as some of my daughter’s old clothes. 

Sakura usually wore darker colors as a child. The exceptions were the clothes Ino gave to her from her own wardrobe.

_“Poor Sakura. Trying so hard to look cute. Too bad no matter what you do your giant forehead will always make you look like an alien” the girl said, giving Sakura’s forehead a flick._

_Sakura reached up to lay her palm where the purple-haired girl had flicked her._

_'But I’m not…an alien' Sakura thought weakly, not sounding like she believed it herself._

_“But then again that’s what you get for trying to act like you have a brain behind that large forehead of yours. Acing every test so that it looks like you’re smart. You’re no ninja. You lose almost as many spars as Naruto and you can’t even hit a bullseye” the girl berated meanly._

I watched as Sakura started to cry a little. 

_“What? Got nothing to say? Can’t even wipe your nose without your bodyguard can you?” the girl mocked._

_'Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Just tell her to go away!' Sakura’s thoughts chanted desperately._

_“Humph. You’ll never be a real ninja. You’re from a third rate family and you have no skills at all” the girl badgered relentlessly._

_Sakura’s fists clenched but she didn’t make a move to engage her bullies._

_'I’m not…I’m not…' her thoughts trailed off weakly._

_'I’ll show you third rate!' an angry Sakura-sounding voice echoed, though incredibly softly, so softly I almost missed it._

My eyes widened. Could it be? 

_Suddenly trash was dumped all over the three girls._

_“Sorry. I thought you guys were trash cans with all the garbage spilling out of you” Ino stated smugly, setting the wastebasket on the ground._

_Sakura looked at Ino in shock._

_'Ha! Serves them right!' the voice echoed again, though stronger this time._

_Sakura herself looked like she was trying not to laugh._

_“INO!” the girl shouted._

Suddenly the memory faded away, leaving me surrounded by darkness once again. 

Spectre Sakura appeared in front of me once more. 

“I answered your question. Now get the hell out of my head! And I swear if you ever tell anyone what you just saw I’ll flatten you” Spectre Sakura threatened, suddenly growing ten times my size.

**(Ibiki’s POV)**

It’s been ten minutes since Inoichi went into Sakura’s head. 

Neither of us had been sure what it was exactly that he’d be looking for when he went in. 

We had a basic understanding of what her kekkei genkai was, but the details were lacking. 

And it is those missing details that are the key to figuring out more of her kekkei genkai’s capabilities. 

Just then Inoichi’s eyes opened and he removed his hand from Sakura’s head. 

“Well?” I asked him, keeping an eye on Sakura as she slowly opened her own eyes. 

“From what I’ve gathered you’re ‘Inner Self’ is definitely a part of you. Your confidence, aggression. All the emotions and opinions you keep locked inside and don’t let others see. It acts as a separate entity within your own mind and it even has its own chakra and control over your memories. Probably due to the fact it is a part of yourself given form through the yin chakra in your brain...If I were to wager a guess, when you let your temper come through, your ‘Inner Self’ and its chakra actually merges back together with your physical body. Hence your ‘monstrous strength’ when you’re angry. It definitely makes me wonder what would happen if you no longer needed to keep that part of your personality hidden. Would your ‘Inner Self’ integrate back with you permanently or would something else happen?” Inoichi contemplated curiously.

“Am I mentally stable?” Sakura questioned uneasily. 

“Learning to regulate our emotions and suppress them is a part of being a shinobi. It only becomes a problem when the emotional conditioning is taken too far, or if a person cracks due to the amount of trauma they’ve experienced. Keeping feelings and opinions to oneself is commonplace. If you want to remain in your boss’ good graces you will not tell them that their dress makes them look fat, nor would most scream profanities at them if they were incredibly rude or annoying, even if they wanted to. We keep those true thoughts and feelings to ourselves. Doing so does not make you unstable. Where this would become a problem is if you continued to use your kekkei genkai to push all your personality and emotions inward onto your ‘Inner Self’, and in doing so making yourself essentially into a robot” I explained to her. 

Sakura nodded in relief, though Inoichi frowned, his thoughts likely echoing my own.

While Sakura didn’t know it, her kekkei genkai made her the perfect candidate for Root. 

Danzo capitalized on ‘methods’ for eradicating emotions and causing dissociation in order to create shinobi who followed orders and were not ‘plagued’ by their emotions.

His so called ‘methods’ circled around mental and emotional torture, and mental conditioning. 

Trauma like that can easily lead to irreparable damage to a child (or anyone really). 

Back during the War my squad had been captured by the enemy. 

They tortured us for days trying to get any information they could out of us. 

By the time Inoichi-sensei had rescued us Tokara had already died from his injuries. 

Though we both physically recovered, Hayate retained a permanent chronic cough from the red pepper dust he'd been forced to inhale (fortunately his eyes mostly recovered), and the injuries to my head left a mess of scars...My hair never grew back.

But the worst scars weren’t the ones people could physically see. 

Like I told Sakura the most excruciating pain is psychological and emotional. 

And it would be the same for those in Root. 

Rehabilitation would be a long and lengthy process, and unfortunately we won’t be able to help everyone. 

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything too important” a voice sounded. 

I glanced over my shoulder to see Shikaku standing in the doorway. 

“Inoichi is merely assisting myself and Sakura with her training. What is it that you need?” I asked him, giving him the silent green light to enter the room. 

“There were a few matters I wanted to discuss with the both of you if that was alright?” he asked. 

“Of course” I told him, moving my gaze back to my apprentice. 

“We will continue where we left off at a later date. Right now don’t you have an operation to observe?” I reminded her. 

Sakura made a small gasp as she noticed the time on the clock. 

“Lee’s surgery of course!” she said, standing up from her spot on the chair. 

“Thank you for all your help Sensei, Mr. Yamanaka!” Sakura said, giving us both a small bow. 

“It was no trouble at all. Now I would get going before you get in trouble with Lady Hokage” Inoichi told her kindly. 

“Right!” she said, taking off with a smile.

After turning my gaze back to the two men in front of men I noticed both their expressions had turned solemn. 

“This is about Danzo isn’t it?” I questioned Shikaku. 

“Yes. We need to go over containment plans for those we capture” he answered. 

“I already have Master Jiraiya making up special containment seals in order to prevent any ‘mishaps’ from occurring” I assured him. 

With the Fourth Hokage and the Red-Hot Habanaro dead Master Jiraiya was currently the Village’s top seal master, if anyone could create the seals we needed it was him. 

“I’m more concerned about Danzo himself right now. He’s being too…quiet for my liking. Especially with the recent information dump on Naruto and the unrest going around the Village. Somehow it feels like we’re playing right into his hands” Inoichi commented uneasily. 

Shikaku nodded. 

“I’ve been getting that feeling too. Regardless our job is to plan as many contingencies as possible in order to minimize the damages as much as possible” he replied. 

“So long as Danzo doesn’t know we are planning an ambush we should continue letting him think he has us in the palm of his hands” I declared. 

“Are we so sure that we aren’t?” Inoichi questioned. 

Shikaku and I both turned to him.

“Even though we’ve been discreet I’m fairly certain even Ino’s starting to suspect something more is going on with the Clans. Heck, not even the citizens are blind to the tensions going around right now. People generally take gossiping for granted, but it can be a powerful information network in the right hands. And as we’ve seen Danzo is more than capable of using gossip and rumors to his advantage in order to tear even the strongest apart” Inoichi stated bitterly. 

“You think he already knows we’re plotting against him” I stated grimly, the likelihood of the matter causing me to tense. 

“That _is_ a possibility I’ve considered as well. Danzo may very well have spies planted within the Clans already. As it stands a peaceful resolution is becoming less and less likely every day” Shikaku solemnly explained.

“So there’s no chance of stopping it anymore then…The Leaf Village civil war is upon us” I proclaimed.

**(Guy’s POV)**

“Alright Lee! Are you ready to take the first step towards recovery?!” I enthusiastically proclaimed.

“Yes Guy-sensei! I have never been more ready to get a running start in my life!” Lee answered back, just as enthusiastically. 

“Now hold on. I understand your eagerness, but first I have to make sure you’re one-hundred percent prepared before you go into surgery” Lady Tsunade scolded lightly. 

“Don’t you worry Lady Hokage! I made sure that Lee completed his physio-therapy and muscle exercises” I assured her. 

“And we made sure that they didn’t overdo it” Tenten said, giving me and Lee and exasperated glare from the corner of her eyes. 

“Good. Heaven knows I can’t entirely trust the two of them to take the prep-exercises easy” Tsuande said with a small tug of her lips, “According to Inoichi’s psychological report you passed the mental preparation needed as well”

“Yes Mam. I understand that there is still a large chance I may die. But I am prepared for that chance! I know you said that not being a shinobi wouldn’t be the end of the world, but I want to prove that even I can be a splendid ninja. I am doing this because it is my dream!” Lee declared proudly, giving Lady Hokage our signature ‘nice-guy’ pose.

Lady Hokage looked stunned for a moment before an expression of pure pride and determination crossed her features. 

“Then I won’t make you wait any longer. I’ll have the nurses come finish prepping you” lady Tsunade said with a determined smile, strutting out of the room as if she was standing tall after a victory. 

I couldn’t be more grateful to her. 

If Lee had to give up his dream because of me I don’t know what I would’ve done. 

No. That wasn’t entirely accurate. 

I would’ve resigned as a Jounin instructor once Neji and Tenten were promoted to Chunin, and then spent as much time as Lee needed to reacclimate himself towards a new path in life. 

I just don’t know what Lee would’ve done. 

Sure he could go back to school, and I have no doubt that eventually he would’ve found a trade that he enjoyed…but he would’ve never been the same. 

Being a ninja was his whole life...It was all he knew how to do. 

Most people (e.g. citizens) don’t realize that unless you have a specialization (like medics and those who work in the different Divisions), most shinobi only get their income from the missions they take. 

We don’t have any other jobs, our missions are our jobs. 

As such we don’t have the trade skills that regular citizens have. 

It was a gap that had yet to be bridged. 

D-ranked missions helped close that gap slightly, giving younger shinobi vocational skills as well as keeping them connected to the regular citizens, but it wasn’t the same as the non-shinobi children who went to school until they were eighteen and/or apprenticed under an elder worker in the field of their choice.

Of course most of the Clans had side occupations or trades in addition to their shinobi work. 

The Yamanaka had their flower shop, the Akimichi clan were chefs and the ones to establish the first restaurants in the Village when they settled here, the Nara had their deer and medicine shop, the Inuzuka ran the Animal Hospital and we're dog breeders, and the Aburame used their insects in order to create silk that they sold to clothing shops. 

The Lee clan did have special self-defense classes for civilians at their dojo, but with Lee’s injuries it wouldn’t have been possible for him to pursue that path. 

“Are you sure about this Lee? You’re not doing this just to try and prove a point?” Neji asked rather gently. 

“I am not. I am choosing to believe in the abilities of my Hokage and the power of my own will!” Lee answered determinedly. 

Neji nodded in solemn acceptance, obviously still worried but silently acknowledging that it wasn't his choice to make. 

Lee wasn’t doing this out of desperation. And it is knowing this why I understand Lee’s drive to pursue the surgery despite the risks. 

In the end all I want is for him to live happily and with no regrets. 

If this is what he wants (with his parents’ support of course) then I will support him 150%. 

And I knew Neji and Tenten felt the same way. 

Because we are Team 13!

We are the team that defies fate!

**(Third POV)**

“When are we going to start actually learning some sealing jutsu Pervy Sage?” Naruto shouted in irritation, “All we’ve been doing is writing for the past three hours!” 

Jiraiya scoffed at the impatient blonde, though Naruto had lasted far longer than he thought he would. 

“It’s called calligraphy brat. Fuinjutsu requires a steady hand and _legible_ handwriting. Yours is little better than chicken-scratch. Right now you’re more liable to blow yourself up than create a seal that actually works” Jiraiya lectured. 

Naruto growled in frustration. 

“Quit being such an impatient two-year old Naruto! I’m doing this too aren’t I?” Karin berated. 

'Though it _is_ starting to get really boring' she thought to herself. 

“I get why we need to practice, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do other stuff too!” Naruto countered loudly. 

Jiraiya just gave him an 'oh-really-now' look.

“He does have a point” Karin admitted, a sly expression suddenly adorning her face, "And if you think about it...You kind of owe Naruto for all the years you spent away from the Village...You know instead of staying here. Keeping him safe...That's over twelve years worth of fuinjutsu you need to catch up on"

Jiraiya just sweat-dropped at Karin's not so subtle manipulation and guilt-tripping.

She was definitely an Uzumaki.

“Fine” Jiraiya caved, seeing Naruto vehemently nodding in agreement.

He then took out a small scroll from his robes and unrolled it along the ground. 

Using the brush he had been working with earlier he quickly drew out the designs he needed, his brush strokes sure and fluid, with not a wasted moment in his movements.

Karin’s eyes continuously scanned every detail of Jiraiya’s work, soaking up every detail, every stroke. 

“It almost looks like–” 

“A storage scroll?” Naruto questioned, voicing her thoughts aloud. 

Karin looked at him in surprise. 

“Oh? Looks like you’re not so hopeless after all” Jiraiya teased. 

“What’s that supposed to mean Pervy Sage?!” Naruto demanded. 

“Well considering your lackluster skill with space-time ninjutsu and pathetic written grades at the Academy, lets just say I didn’t have high hopes that you inherited either of your parent’s skills in fuinjutsu” Jiraiya admitted honestly, still maintaining his teasing grin. 

“Why you!” Naruto growled. 

But before he could stand and give the Sannin a piece of his mind Karin grabbed his ear. 

“That’s enough! You wanted to move onto something else so pipe down and deal with it” Karin scolded. 

Jiraiya chuckled at Naruto’s predicament, not realizing his mistake until after. 

“And you! Quit screwing around already! You’re supposed to be helping, not finding new ways to mock us!” Karin angrily chastised, narrowing her eyes at Jiraiya threateningly. 

'Geez. Three people in the Village with the Uzumaki temper. Now _that’s_ scary' Jiraiya said, paling at the thought of Tsunade.

“In any case, since the two of you are so adamant about moving forward with your training I want the two of you to make your own storage scrolls” Jiraiya said. 

“Our own storage scrolls?” Naruto parroted, “Why would we need to do that? Can’t we just go buy more from the store or something?”

“Use your head Naruto. If we make our own storage scrolls we can add any kind of features we want to it. We can make it so large it can hold hundreds of kunai, or specific enough so that can contain objects without a solid form, like fire or water” Karin lectured sternly. 

“Exactly right” Jiraiya praised. 

“Oh I get it! Kind of like how Tenten has all that stuff in her scrolls right?” Naruto replied comprehendingly. 

“Your friend has an unusual knack for fuinjutsu that has allowed her to tailor her storage seals to fit her needs. Though I don’t think she’s explored the ninjutsu much further than that. From what I’ve heard her talents lie more in space-time ninjutsu. The Uzumaki clan on the other hand were fuinjutsu masters. Their seals could do things nobody would ever think possible” Jiraiya boasted. 

Naruto and Karin looked at him in awe.

“And I plan on turning the two of you into some of the best fuinjutsu experts out there” Jiraiya declared. 

Naruto and Karin smiled excitedly at his declaration. 

“But for now we must start at the bottom” Jiraiya said, taking out two more scrolls, and placing them in front of the duo. 

“Alright! Let’s do this!” Naruto cheered, sounding much like a battle cry. 

“Just you wait. We’ll be fuinjutsu masters in no time!” Karin said, matching his declaration with her own.

As the two of them got to work Jiraiya couldn’t help the feeling of pride rushing through his veins. 

'The Uzumaki live on Kushina, Mito-sama' Jiraiya thought proudly.

So wrapped up in their own thoughts, none of them noticed the ink black mouse a little ways away, gazing at them with a rapt interest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapter was so long, but I felt it was necessary to see where everybody was currently at (even briefly) before moving forward.
> 
> Sasuke in fluctuation once again *sighs*
> 
> Shikamaru has officially been promoted and Lee's surgery is underway!
> 
> More about Inner Sakura has been unveiled B) Hope you all liked my explanation of her!
> 
> Conflict between the Clans and civilians... That's not good :/
> 
> Hope you all liked learning more about Kurenai, Asuma, Ibiki, and Inoichi! (I'm working on expanding on all characters not just Team 7 so I hope it doesn't take anything away from the story!)
> 
> Uzumaki Family bonding time! (Lol Karin)
> 
> An ink-black mouse huh?.....Hmmm curiouso and curiouso


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All,
> 
> I apologize for being so absent! I've had so much going on its been ridiculous! I am almost done this entire chapter but it turned out to be so long I broke it up into 2 parts. I will state that even though this chapter is based off of the movie Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow I changed some things and elaborated others! There are some very important added scenes coming up for our main characters so stay tuned!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Third POV)**

_“Give up Princess. Fall to your knees and bow before me” Mao demanded._

_“As long as I live I will gather my strength and forge a path for others to follow” Princess Gale exclaimed, her body igniting in multicolored light._

_“Princess...” Shishimaru whispered lowly in awe._

_“Her rainbow chakra is ablaze!” Sukeakuro declared in amazement._

_“My brothers, we must light the flames of our chakra too!” Brit proclaimed, confidence renewed._

_“Right!” Sukeakuro and Shishimaru exclaimed together._

_“Typical” Mao scoffed, twirling his staff, and sending a tornado of dark chakra barreling down at the warriors._

_But the Warrior Three had already positioned themselves in front of their Princess, the combined flow of all four of their chakra deflecting the foul blast as the light of Princess Gale’s rainbow chakra burned with a bright illuminating intensity._

_With a fierce battle cry Princess Gale launched her own chakra blast at Mao, pushing back his dark chakra and sending Mao into the clouds. The intensity of the chakra blowing away the storm clouds, leaving only a rainbow in its wake._

“Yeahhhh!!! All right! Princess Gale you rule! Good sticks it to evil once again!” Naruto loudly cheered. 

Sakura smirked, giving her own victory arm grab, with Sasuke standing with a content, relaxed expression.

While he had been reluctant to go along with another one of Kakashi's harebrained orders he actually found that he was enjoying himself (Though he would never admit so to anyone, even upon pain of death).

“Hey! What the heck do you think you’re doing up there?!” an angry security guard furiously shouted up at them. 

The trio looked at the man in confusion as they stood upside down on the ceiling of the theater, making the silent unanimous decision to jump down rather than bring more attention to themselves. 

“What’s the big idea?” Naruto demanded irately, annoyed that the guy was interrupting their first real break in eons. 

“Don’t play stupid with me! You three snuck in here without paying you lousy little freeloaders!” the man accused. 

“Wait you’ve got it all wrong! We were just getting a little training in as we watched the movie” Naruto explained, his annoyance gone as he tried to placate the angry civilian. 

“Training? For what?” the man asked, now confused himself. 

“We have tickets” Sasuke stated blandly, showing the man his ticket that had been stamped upon entry. 

“Are you ninja from the Leaf Village?” the guy questioned, finally noticing their headbands. 

“You bet we are!” Naruto declared with pride. 

“Hey pipe down will you! Some of us here want to watch the end of the movie!” an angry observer shouted. 

“Sorry” Naruto said sheepishly, the three of them leaping back up to the ceiling until the movie concluded, actively avoiding the garage being tossed at them. 

“Weird ass ninjas. Can never do anything like normal people” the security guard muttered as he walked away.

Afterwards the three of them waited outside the back of the theater. 

“Kakashi-sensei is late” Sakura stated with unsurprised exasperation as her Team waited behind the theater as their Sensei had instructed them too.

“So? What else is new?” Sasuke casually commented.

It wasn’t as if they had expected anything less of Kakashi anyway. 

“That movie was so cool, I don’t think I’ve ever been so blown away in my life” Naruto said dreamily as he stared up at the billboard of Princess Gale.

“I don’t wanna hear it! You made such a racket in there we almost didn’t get to see the end of the movie” Sakura chastised, still mildly annoyed, though in the end she gave her own dreamy sigh, “But I agree. I could watch that handsome Michy that plays Sukeakuro all day long”

Then a bit of embarrassed pink adorned her cheeks. 

“Of course he doesn’t compare to you Sasuke” Sakura said, giving Sasuke a soft smile as she folded her arms behind her back and tapped her foot shyly.

Sasuke decidedly ignored her ‘save’. He already knew the actor had nothing on him.

Naruto though managed to bite his tongue at the last minute, withholding a comment that would’ve more than likely made him the target of Sakura’s ire. And rightfully so.

Recently, Grandpa Tobirama had been teaching him more about manners and appropriate social etiquette, both political and casual. And he was pretty sure saying “Gee Sakura, I don’t know where you got your taste in men but it sucks” would anger just about any girl. 

Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to take his jealousy and bitterness out on Sakura...Though her words did still hurt.

‘Why can’t I get a girl like Sakura to pay attention to me like she does with Sasuke?’ Naruto thought bitterly. 

Naruto decided to ignore his teammates in favor of continuing to gaze at the Princess Gale billboard from his crouched position on the ground. 

“I wonder if there’s anyone like her out there? I mean where’s my Princess Gale you know? If I could fight for a girl like that, I’d be on cloud nine” Naruto mumbled, half bitter, and half in the clouds. 

Sure in theory he could find his own ‘Princess Gale’, but being able to marry her would depend on factors that felt completely out of his control right now.

_*Flashback*_

_“The Clan Restoration Act is one of many laws under the Clan Protection Plan set in place to protect clans that are dwindling or in danger of becoming extinct” Shinobu Mibu began, “The Act contains different steps for both men and women. For male members they will be allowed to marry as many wives as needed, depending on the severity of the decline and the number of males remaining. Your situation is unique in that you are the heir of three Clans that fall under the necessary qualifications of this Act”_

_“Which means what exactly?” Naruto asked, the wariness evident in his tone._

_“It was decided that the process of restoring each of the three Clans would be treated separately, and that due to the circumstances of your mixed heritage, enacting the Heritage Protection Act and the Cryobank Act along with the CRA was felt to be the best plan of action due to your situation” Shinobu explained, as if anything of what he’d said was simple._

_“That still isn’t explaining anything. That’s just throwing more laws at me that I know nothing about” Naruto grumbled in blunt annoyance._

_“I’m surprised Jiraiya isn’t here to explain this himself” Hiruzen commented in silent amazement._

_“He and Kakashi requested to be here for Naruto...I refused” Tsunade stated casually, completely unrepentant._

_‘There’s no way I’m letting those two perverts make this more difficult than it has to be. Though Kakashi would be far tamer about it then Jiraiya’ Tsunade thought._

_“If we could continue?” Tobirama said tightly._

_This was not a conversation he wanted to be a part of, but hell would freeze over before he would ever abandon Naruto to deal with this alone._

_Shinobu nodded._

_“You have three different plans. For the Senju clan normally you would only be required to take on one wife and have a minimum of three children, one of which has to be a son. However, since you are one of the only two surviving members of the Main Branch of the Clan, and Lady Tsunade has confirmed to us that she will not be having any children, you will be required to have at least 1 wife and a minimum of 2 sons with her in order to better ensure the continuation of the Main Branch of the Clan” Shinobu explained, somehow keeping a neutral face despite his discomfort with explaining a reproduction plan with a twelve year old._

_Unfortunately as the Shinobi Representative Attorney General (and the sensitive high profile nature of the case) the matter was his responsibility to handle._

_Naruto on the other hand was trying very hard to keep his expression blank._

_“In addition, due to your mixed heritage we will be enacting the Heritage Protection Act along with it. Meaning that your wife, or rather wives, will have to share the Clan ancestry you are trying to bring out” Shinobu continued._

_Naruto just blinked._

_“It basically means you have to marry a female Senju and Uzumaki not directly related to you” Tsunade clarified unhappily._

_“What?! But all the girls in the Senju Clan are younger than 10! The only one near my age is…” Naruto stopped himself before he finished his sentence._

_“Yes, as of right now you and Moriko Senju are betrothed” Tobirama confirmed, trying impossibly hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice._

_While back in his time arranged marriages were common practice, it wasn’t technically supposed to be now (though that didn’t stop such things from occurring)._

_Naruto just stood around like a gaping fish, too lost for words._

_“As for the Uzumaki clan that’s where things get a little trickier. You would have to marry a woman of Uzumaki ancestry, however the number of surviving descendants is unknown with two exceptions” Shinobu stated._

_“I’m not marrying Karin” Naruto firmly declared, looking much like he was rooting himself like a tree, preparing himself for the storm winds to come._

_“Naruto–” Hiruzen began calmly._

_“No. She’s almost like a sister to me now. No. Just no” Naruto said, cutting him off._

_“Right now the only female Uzumakis we know of right now are Karin and Sara. If you are still adamant about not marrying Karin in the years to come, and no other female Uzumaki descendants have been located then we can discuss the possibility of a marriage alliance with the Village Hidden in the Waterfalls” Tsunade stated placatingly._

_Naruto wasn’t happy about it, but he accepted it for now._

_He’d just have to find some more Uzumakis and hope that one of them would be able to tolerate him enough to deal with all of this BS (or better yet find enough Uzumaki descendants to avoid the matter entirely)._

_“Since we do not know how many Uzumaki survivors there actually are, and if there is anyone else with the blood of the Main Branch, right now the plan is to have you marry at least one Uzumaki descendant, preferably two depending on if more are found, and to have a minimum of 5-8 children each, with at least 3-4 sons per wife” Shinobu detailed rather blank-faced as he held back his wince._

_“This is starting to sound like one of Pervy Sage’s trashy novels” Naruto muttered, his right eye starting to twitch._

_Hiruzen couldn’t help but huff out a laugh at that. He had no doubt **that** was the reason Tsunade had refused to let Jiraiya sit in on this conversation. _

_“As for how we will ensure that your Namikaze heritage is brought out in your children we are still trying to work out the details there. Since you and Master Jiraiya are as far as we know the only remaining descendants of the Clan your mistresses, and surrogates must be carefully selected in the hope that a few of the children they bare can be claimed Namikaze and not Senju or Uzumaki” Shinobu stated, still pondering the issue._

_“Mistresses? Surrogates?” Naruto reluctantly asked, completely confused by the terms._

_“It will be difficult to produce Namikaze heirs even with careful selection. As such artificial insemination would be the best plan of action to take for now in the hopes that some of the children inherit your Typhoon release” Shinobu explained._

_“...Artificial what?”_

_*End Flashback*_

That had been hands-down the most uncomfortable conversation he’d ever been a part of. 

He understood that it was important for him to have kids in order to keep the Clans from dying out, but did he _really_ need _multiple_ wives? (He wasn’t touching the whole Sperm Bank issue with a thousand foot pole). 

He had yet to even speak to Moriko since he found out that they were betrothed. 

Of course she spoke to him as if everything was normal while he couldn’t even look her in the eyes anymore. 

Did she even know? Would she grow to hate him now that they were basically being forced together? 

He couldn’t bring himself to even ask. His tongue felt like lead every time he saw her.

And that wasn’t even getting into the whole Sara versus Karin problem. 

To be honest, before all this he never really thought he’d find someone to marry him (Though he did hope that Sakura would eventually give him the attention he sought after if he showed her that he was better than Sasuke).

Now he has no choice _but_ to get married, and he doesn’t even get to marry whomever he wants. He has to pick and choose from a list of selected individuals _provided_ for him. 

Naruto let out a deep sigh as he gazed almost longingly at the billboard.

“Whatever. It was just a movie” Sasuke dismissed, not wanting to hear Naruto’s future marital woes. He had enough issues on that vein himself.

“It’s funny. I wonder why Kakashi-sensei insisted that we see the movie before we took up our mission? I mean, it doesn’t matter whether or not we’ve seen Yukie’s movies if we’re just supposed to guard her right?” Sakura wondered aloud. 

‘And wear these stupid mini-camera things’ Sasuke thought, remembering the the little fragile pieces of metal and lens that Kakashi had given them to attach to their holsters, ‘I’m sure as hell not risking my neck to ensure they don’t get broken’

Suddenly the sound of hooves echoed through the air. Naruto immediately stood up from his crouched position and Sasuke jumped down from his spot on the stacked pipes. 

The three of them braced themselves as the hooves got closer and closer. 

Of course the sight of Princess Gale jumping over the wooden fence on horseback was the last thing they were expecting. 

“No way…Was that the Princess?” Sakura asked dumbfounded as the horse galloped away. 

The soft sound of the gate opening broke the three of them out of their stupor, the three of them jumping away from the gate right before they were wacked in the face. 

The three of them watched as a stampede of samurai on horseback (dressed much like the villains from the movie) went after the Princess. 

No words were needed as the three of them sprinted off to protect their charge.

Meanwhile, Yukie carelessly charged right through the food stands adorning the street, destroying melon carts and shattering crates of wine bottles. 

Yukie quickly removed the torn cloth melon cart sign from where it was wrapped around her horse’s eyes. 

As she looked back she saw that she still had five horseman on her tail. 

Unbeknownst to her Naruto was speeding through the town, leaping from roof to terrace to flag pole in order to catch up to her. 

The leader of the horseman, an older, unarmored man gave a nod to the samurai behind him, and the other rider split off from the group into the nearest alleyway. 

As Yukie made a sharp right onto the next street the samurai that had broken off from the group appeared from the alley in front of her. 

Yukie quickly yanked back on the reigns, making her horse rear back on its hind legs in its halt. 

Not giving her a chance to escape the samurai threw out a net to capture her. 

However, Naruto, having finally caught up, threw a barrage of shuriken, easily slicing the net to ribbons. 

Without giving the armored rider any time to reflect on what was happening Naruto quickly leaped off the roof and summoned eight clones to knock down the riders, giving Yukie the chance she needed to escape. 

As Naruto and his Clones were occupied with beating on the riders another group galloped past him. 

“Don’t let her get away!” the leader shouted from the head of the new group. 

“Don’t you worry Princess I’ll protect you” Naruto declared with a confident smirk, dispelling his Clones as he lept away.

As Princess Gale was rushing down the road the samurai tossed glass oil bombs at the bottom of the stairs she was leaping over, tripping up her horse and making her fall stomach first onto the street. 

“Get her!” the unarmored man frantically ordered. 

The samurai immediately leaped off of their horses right on top of Princess Gale, grabbing her wrists and pushing her head into the tiles.

“Get on her!”

“Don’t move!”

“I got her!”

“We finally captured her” the unarmored man triumphantly declared. 

Princess Gale however elbow jammed one of the soldiers in the head, a puff of smoke surrounding her person, revealing the ‘Princess’ was actually (a pissed off) Sakura instead. 

“Huh?!” the unarmored man said, confused as to what the heck was going on.

“Huh? Who are you?”

“Where did the Princess go?”

As Sakura was trying to push and kick away the confused riders Sasuke (who had been transformed as the horse) sped onto the back of the leader’s brown horse, giving the man a swift neck chop when he finally noticed his presence. 

As the older man fell off his horse and onto the ground the rest of the samurai took one look at Sasuke’s casual challenging expression (and headband) and decided to just cut their losses and beat it the hell out of there while they still could.

Of course, Sakura, still pissed off about being jumped on and manhandled, decided to make good use of her training with Ibiki and Inoichi, deciding that the riders would be the perfect first recipients of her latest technique.

Channeling her anger, she joined her mind with that of her ‘Inner’ self, using the jump in her chakra to speed ahead of the men without them noticing. 

She waited ahead of them with her arms crossed and her eyes closed, focusing on further combining the two chakras together.

And as the terrified samurai neared her she let out an angered battle cry, black and white (yin and yang) chakra sparking around her like electricity. 

Sasuke’s eyes widened for a brief moment as he watched Sakura (very) effectively kick all the samurai men’s asses, giving a barely there smirk before it vanished to his usual serious expression. 

“Tie’m up for interrogation later” Sasuke stated to Sakura once she was finished.

Sakura immediately turned to look at him, neither her anger or weird chakra visible any longer. 

She gave him a quick nod and the two of them proceeded to use their ropes to restrain their defeated captives.

When they were down to the last two men a familiar voice caught their ear. 

“Oh dear”

Looking up they saw Kakashi perched atop the stone lantern next to the stairs, crouching down on his toes. 

“Kakashi-sensei” Sakura acknowledged. 

‘We’re probably going to have to explain why we weren’t at the meeting place’ she thought. 

“What are you two doing?” Kakashi demanded with an air of exasperation. 

“Our job” Sasuke replied cockily, clapping his hands together to dust the dirt off them. 

To their surprise Kakashi Body Flickered over to the unarmored man, using the Wide Range Rope Escape technique to free all the men as he did. 

“Gee, I’m really sorry about this” Kakashi said sheepishly as he helped the samurais’ leader up from the ground. 

“Huh?” Sakura stated, confused as to why Kakashi was apologizing to the enemy on their behalf. 

Sasuke just impassively observed the situation, resting his right hand on his hip. 

“This is the gentleman who hired us for our mission today” Kakashi deadpanned. 

When the older man finished dusting off his pants he turned around to scrutinize the two kids through his broken prescription glasses.

* * *

Yukie stared blankly at her reflection in the ripples in the water as her horse drank greedily from the stream. 

“Are you hurt Princess?” a voice sounded behind her. 

Naruto had already given her a (clinical) once over and though she didn’t appear to be hurt, it was always best to be sure. 

Yukie said nothing as she glared impassively at him from the corner of her eye. 

Naruto on the other hand was doing his best not to fanboy all over his charge. 

He wanted so badly to ask for her autograph and to tell her how awesome her movie was, but he knew if he did Grandpa Tobirama would find out that he was being  
unprofessional with their client and have him go through all his etiquette lessons again from the beginning. 

He barely refrained from shuttering at the thought. 

“Why were those guys chasing you? Is there a secure location in place in case something like this happens?” he asked her. 

Yukie continued to ignore him and instead just hopped back onto her horse. 

To Naruto’s surprise she moved her horse forward in his direction. 

Naruto moved out of the way just before he was rammed, and watched as Yukie rode away without so much as a backward glance. 

Of course to Yukie’s surprise Naruto easily kept pace with her horse. 

“I’m one of the ninja hired to protect you Princess. You’re not getting away from me that easy” Naruto stated teasingly, trying to ease the growing irritation he felt rolling off her in waves.

Yukie proceeded to use her crop to order her horse to gallop faster in order to try and outpace the unusually fast kid. 

Taking a brief glance to the side, she gave a small triumphant smirk when she saw that the boy had disappeared from her view.

“You know how to handle this horse pretty well” an impressed voice sounded from behind her. 

Whipping her head around in shock Yukie saw the boy crouched down on the back of her horse, balancing easily on the balls of his feet without a care in the world. 

Getting a sudden determined look in her eyes Yukie used her crop once more and led her horse back into the town, hoping to throw the brat off. 

As they dangerously sped through the street vendors, smashing into carts, tearing through stands, dodging items knocked into the air, smashed food, one of the tent poles ripped off her right sleeve, though even that didn’t slow Yukie down in the slightest. If anything she only got more annoyed as nothing seemed to knock the kid off balance.

Naruto on the other hand was getting severely concerned at Yukie’s callous disregard for the damage her actions were causing.

“Hey, I get you’re probably trying to throw me off and ditch me, but don’t you think this is a little dangerous?” Naruto stated warily, trying to reason with the unruly actress before someone got hurt. 

Suddenly a small group of unsuspecting kids went out into the street ahead of them, unaware of the impending danger.

“Lookout!” Naruto shouted, immediately yanking back on the reins to stop the horse himself. 

The suddenness of the stop caused the horse to reer back onto its hind legs, throwing the both of them backwards off of the horse. 

Naruto of course quickly landed on his feet and managed to catch Yukie in his arms before she could hit the ground.

“Put me down!” Yukie demanded once the shock had worn off, struggling in Naruto’s arms.

“Fine, relax, geez!” Naruto declared, annoyed at Yukie pushing on his face, placing the actress her feet before he accidentally (or not so accidentally) dropped her.

“It’s Princess Gale!” the young girl cried out in excitement once the shock had passed, rushing over to Yukie. The three other boys in her group excitedly following her lead.

“I’m not Princess Gale” Yukie adamantly denied.

“I know! You’re the actress Yukie Fujikaze! I’m your biggest fan!” the girl squealed out, taking out a notebook and pen from her pack and shoving it up at Yukie, “Can I have your autograph?”

“Me too!”

“And me!”

“Please!”

“I don’t give autographs!” Yukie angrily shouted, getting overwhelmed.

“Awww”

“Please don’t say that!”

“Autograph, autograph please!”

“You’re an actress! You can at least give us your autograph!”

“That’s enough!” Yukie shouted, this time far more sternly.

The children quieted immediately.

“What’s so great about getting an autograph? You’re just going to put it away in some corner for it to collect dust. It serves no purpose. It’s idiotic!” Yukie callously berated, running off in a huff almost immediately after breaking all the kids' hearts.

Naruto just stared at Yukie's retreating form with an unreadable expression.

“How awful and arrogant” he heard one of the townspeople say.

“Well, you know what they say. Never meet your idols” the shopkeeper scoffed.

Naruto couldn't help but silently agree.

* * *

“Our mission is to guard the actress Yukie Fujikaze, who is best known for her role as Princess Gale” Kakashi reiterated now that all the misunderstandings from earlier had been cleared up.

While Naruto kept watch over Yukie, Kakashi took Sasuke and Sakura back to meet the Director, Makino.

“Guard huh?” Sasuke stated with a bland skepticism.

With all the stuntmen the film crew had that also doubled as bodyguards and ‘Princess Wranglers’ he sincerely doubted that their presence was strictly necessary.

“Well, maybe not so much guard as...escort” Kakashi clarified, seeing Sasuke’s skeptical expression.

“The next Princess Gale movie is the first one that we’re shooting abroad, and I don’t think it's any secret that our leading lady can be a bit of a diva” Uchi exhaled in exasperation, taking the script on his shoulder.

“I apologize for not being able to keep her in check” Sandayu bowed in shame.

“Still. You Leaf ninja are impressive. Those kids of yours beat up those bodyguard stuntmen we hired like it was nothing. And those are some big fellas” Makino praised as he let out a puff of smoke from his pipe.

“Uh...Thank you” Kakashi stated, resisting the urge to sweat-drop.

While Sasuke was sitting neutrally as their contractors were talking, Sakura was low-key excitedly looking at everything on the set she could see (the technology of it all fascinating her), eventually turning her attention to the photographs on the cork-board next to her.

As her gaze glided over the photographs she realized something about them...bothered her.

Giving the photos another critical once over, she finally realized that in every picture Yukie was oddly...expressionless. Neutral. Almost...emotionless.

‘With how good an actress she is I would’ve thought she’d be more passionate about her job’ Sakura thought, her eyes traveling around to the other pictures on the board until one in particular caught her eye.

“Wow. Look at those precipices” Sakura muttered, drawing a blank of where cliffs like those were located.

“Those are the Rainbow Glaciers. They’re said to be in the Land of Snow” a voice explained, causing Sakura to turn her attention to the newcomers next to them.

“You’re Kin! You played Brit in the movie” Sakura realized, a bright smile on her face.

Sasuke just gave the two actors a mildly annoyed side-glance (though his face hardly showed it), both of them barely worth his attention (...or Sakura's for that matter).

“The final climactic scene in our next movie is supposed to be filmed there” the man next to him continued.

“And you’re Hidero. You play Shishimaru in the movie!” Sakura stated excitedly.

“The Land of Snow is a pretty far place to go just to film for some movie” Sasuke pointed out, decidedly changing the subject.

“Her manager Sandayu recommended it” Uchi explained, “According to him the Rainbow Glaciers turn seven different colors in the spring”

“That is just an old legend” Kakashi corrected unrepentantly, “There is no spring in the Land of Snow”

“No spring?” Sakura questioned in surprise, quickly snapping out of her excitement over personally meeting the movie actors.

While she was surprised, Sakura supposed it made sense considering the name of the Land.

The Land of Fire in comparison rarely had any snow. Even in the winter temperatures rarely fell below 60 degrees. In her lifetime she could only ever remember experiencing one real snowfall when she'd been five, the year before she entered the Academy. Other than that she could only recall a few winters she'd actually had to wear a coat.

"So it’s winter all year long? No warmer temperatures at all?” she asked, wondering if the Land of Snow was like how the Land of Frost had been near perpetually covered in Frost year round.

“Exactly” Kakashi confirmed.

“Your name is Kakashi right?” Makino inquired, “I’ve heard that you’ve been to the Land of Snow before, and considering how casual you're trying to be with your off-hand knowledge I’d say the rumors are correct”

“That was a long time ago” Kakashi exhaled.

The Land of Snow didn't hold good memories for him.

But that was the story of his life in general he supposed.

“I’ve heard that the Land of Snow is also a very poor country” a fairly handsome man proclaimed, coming up behind them and leaning on Sakura's chair.

“You’re Michy who plays Sukeakuro!” Sakura exclaimed, barely keeping back metaphorical hearts in her eyes at seeing her movie crush in person.

“The story goes that the former Daimyo was a fanatic for gadgets and that he squandered the country’s fortune on silly amusements” Michy detailed, silently pleased that he had a fan in one of the young ninja, though his words snapped Sakura out of her starstruck.

“I just hope the place has heaters. I’m not a fan of cold places” Hidero stated.

“That mean you’re going to run away too?” Kin jested.

“Hey! Give us a break here, we can’t have you guys running off too! It’s bad enough that we have to keep an eye on Yukie!” Uchi desperately pleaded.

“Is Yukie always so...apathetic?” Sakura asked, trying to choose her words carefully as she thought back to the photographs.

Did she hate her job so much that she was constantly trying to run away, but the crew didn’t let her?

“Well...pretty much. She really doesn’t know the meaning of the words ‘endeavor’ or ‘aspiration’. But she was also never one to ignore her work either” Hidero tried to explain, looking like he was trying hard not to be insulting.

‘So there’s another reason behind her attempts to run away then’ Sakura concluded.

“I don’t know or care about her personal life. I have no complaints so long as she performs to the best of her ability in front of the camera. She was born to be an actress” Making firmly proclaimed, causing a brief silence to fall upon the group at his conviction.

“...You know, it’s only been since we told her that we were going to film in the Land of Snow that she started trying to run away” Michy pointed out.

Kakashi was the only one to notice Sandayu's silent apparent determination to ensure that Yukie no forward with the film plans in the Land of Snow despite her vehemence otherwise.

* * *

“The original me is tracking Yukie from a distance right now” Naruto’s clone relayed.

After the whole incident with the kids Naruto had decided that it’d just be better to watch her from afar rather than immediately drag her back.

He had sensed Yukie’s genuine growing disgust at the kids as they continuously tried to get her autograph.

He had wanted to haul her back right then and there for being so heartless...But he'd also felt something else.

Her incredible fear and panic when she realized that she wouldn’t be able to ditch him as easily as she had her last pursuers.

That ultimately made him pause and decide to keep his distance instead, sending a Clone to Kakashi-sensei to ask what it was he should do.

“Good work” Kakashi blandly praised, sounding very mildly exasperated, “For now just keep an eye on her. We’ll grab her when it gets closer to the time to sail off”

Naruto’s Clone gave him an affirmative nod, about to dispel himself and report his orders to the 'Boss'.

“Hold on a second Naruto” Kakashi halted him before he poofed away, “There’s something I need to say to the three of you first”

Naruto’s clone winced a bit in embarrassment, “Sasuke and Sakura already told me about the bodyguards”.

Sakura gave an embarrassed chuckle and Sasuke just harrumphed, turning his head away in badly concealed shame.

“Good. But that’s not what I was talking about” Kakashi stated, crossing his arms lazily across his chest as he leaned against the wooden wall on the outside of the impromptu movie studio.

The trio just looked at him in confusion.

“The point of sending you to the theater was for the three of you to have some time to act like the other civilian kids your age” Kakashi stated as if it should have been obvious. 

“But we did! The movie was awesome! I can’t wait for the Leaf Village to get a movie theater!” Naruto’s clone replied excitedly.

Sakura nodded her head enthusiastically in agreement and even Sasuke had a small smile on his face.

“You stood on the ceiling” Kakashi deadpanned, looking unimpressed, shamelessly cutting into their joy.

The Clone faulted a bit, the three of them blushing sheepishly. 

“...Good grief. I’m starting to think that the Academy needs a Civilian Interaction class” Kakashi stated exasperatedly.

* * *

Yukie casually walked out of the designer store, donning new clothes that would hopefully conceal her identity and allow her to continue to elude her shinobi captors.

It was dark now. The sun had set and there was a cool breeze in the air that made her glad she'd chosen the white knee-length overcoat.

Every so often her paranoia would get the best of her and she would take out her makeup compactor to stealthily look behind her to make sure that she wasn’t being followed.

Not that she was overly worried if she was.

She had her pepper spray earrings, and was confident in her ability to act and deceive her way out of most situations.

After a few hours of no ninjas or body guards trying to drag her back to the set, Yukie finally decided to settle in a bar where she quickly began to drink away her sorrows. 

Downing glass after glass, paying no mind to her increasingly drunken state.

Cold, death, and fire.

That’s what the Land of Snow was.

A Nation with a heart as frozen as her own.

“What a joke. Who’d want to go to a place like the Land of Snow anyway?” Yukie muttered to no one in particular, swinging her crystal necklace in her fingertips, unconcerned about being mugged over it.

The only other person in the bar besides herself and the bartender was a man as equally drunk as herself.

Even as the man placed down his drink and began to stumble his way toward Yukie, she remained firmly in place, unconcerned with any potential danger.

Just as the man was about to stumble into Yukie, his trajectory was suddenly changed by the interference of a spikey haired blonde wearing a Leaf Village headband, rushing into the bar like a bat out of hell, causing him to knock into the child instead and veer towards the exit.

Unbeknownst to the man, Naruto had come between him and Yukie intentionally, sprinting into the bar the second he had felt skeevy vibes wafting off the man the moment he had gotten up from his seat.

Shifting his glare from the drunkard slowly wobbling his way out the door, taking note of the fact that the man was now exuding irritation, Naruto turned his glare on Yukie, keeping the drunk in his periphery in case he was a threat.

“Alright Princess game’s over. I don’t care if you are this great beloved actress. I have a job to do and so do you” Naruto firmly relayed.

“Great? Beloved?” Yukie mimicked, pausing for a moment before bursting out in drunken disparaging laughter, “Being an actress is the pits. Work only the lowest of the low perform”

Naruto’s eyes widened as he watched her down another drink, surprised by the amount of self-loathing he felt on her.

“We act out lies written and dictated to us by others who wish to make people forget their own miserable lives. Giving them false hope...It’s stupid” Yukie scoffed, despair settling back in.

She could be someone else on screen...But in the end that was all a lie too.

Having heard enough, the man, who had taken a pause to listen to the Princess' words, began to stumble his way out the door again when Sandayu burst through the doorway, Sakura right behind him, with Sasuke and Kakashi making their way in at a far more leisurely pace.

Seeing the Copy Ninja the man quickly stumbled his way out the door.

“Milady! Please we must hurry! The boat is to leave soon!” Sandayu pleaded.

“I’m dropping out as Princess Gale” Yukie dismissed, shocking all the room’s occupants.

“What?” Yukie carelessly scoffed, “Happens all the time. Actors change. Directors change. Who cares?”

“Enough!” Sandayu admonished, smacking his hands down on the countertops, “There is no other actress that can play the role of Princess Gale but you!”

Yukie just turned away from him, downing yet another drink.

She wished she would just pass out now, but clearly she hadn’t drunk enough yet for that.

“Besides, if you drop out now you will lose all credibility as an actress. It will destroy your career!” Sandayu pleaded, trying a different angle.

“I don’t care” Yukie dismissed.

There was nothing that could make her ever willingly go back to that horrid place of fire and ice.

“Princess…” Sandayu whispered, sounding incredibly defeated.

Had he truly made the wrong decision in pushing her to go back to the Land of Snow?

Kakashi let out a sigh, “Guess it can’t be helped...Sasuke”.

Yukie turned back to face the older ninja to see just what the hell he was talking about.

But it wasn’t the white-haired man she saw.

All she saw were two glowing red eyes.

As Yukie collapsed unconscious from the genjutsu, Kakashi caught her in his arms, none of the occupants particularly happy with the actions that needed to be taken to do their job.

But while it was their job to protect Yukie, their contractors were first and foremost Sandayu and the Director. And if they ordered them to retrieve the wayward actress so that she could do her job...than that was that.

"Good job Sasuke. It's time for us to head back to the ship" Kakashi ordered, hefting Yukie up into his arms in a bridal carry.

Hearing that the conversation was finished the man shuffled his way silently off of the steps of the bar cataloging the faces he saw to report later.

* * *

“So she does have the Hex Crystal after all” Doto exclaimed, placing his wine glass down on his throne’s armrest as he continued to watch the projection of 'Princess Gale' on the screen in front of him.

“The actress Yukie Fujikaze is without a doubt the former Princess Koyuki Kazahana” Nadare proclaimed, assured in his observations of the young woman.

“It was worth the ten years it took to find her” Fubuki dralled in anticipation.

“Heh. One weak woman. This’ll be a breeze” Mizore scoffed.

“Oh I wouldn’t say that. She has Kakashi Hatake as her bodyguard again” Nadare declared, sounding excited as well.

“Oh? Now that’s interesting. A clash of fate” Fubuki teased.

"And their inevitable loss" Doto assuredly proclaimed.

Safe for ten years only to become a publically adored actress with her face plastered across the lands.

'As foolish as her Father' Doto scoffed.

Soon he would have what he was owed.

* * *

_“Father?” a young Koyuki called out as she searched the corridors, “Father?”_

_“Koyuki? Good. Come here for a second” her Father beckoned._

_Following his instructions she hesitantly stepping through the mirrors._

_“Good. Stand right there and tell me what you see” he told her gently._

_“Um...You and me?” she replied, looking curiously into the mirrors, trying to find what he was talking about._

_“Look closely. You’ll be able to see the future” he told her._

_A flash of fire echoed._

_A vision of herself encased in ice. Drowning._

Yukie awoke from her dream...no. Nightmare. Her head pounding from her hangover. The world much too bright.

Suddenly a knock sounded at the door, “Milady, are you awake?”

“Sandayu, can you get me some water? It feels like the room is swaying” Yukie grumbled, rubbing at her head.

“Ah. Yes. Well…” Sandayu began sheepishly, knowing that Yukie wasn't going to take the news well.

Yukie looked up at him in confusion.

Team 7 could hear Yukie’s scream of “You’ve got to be kidding me!” all the way from the bow.

Finally having coerced Yukie to get to work, Team 7 observed the stage crew as they set up the boat to mimic the surroundings they needed for the shot.

“I don’t like her” Naruto bluntly grumbled.

Back in the bar he’d seen a glimpse of her true feelings. Her self-loathing and despair.

In some ways she reminded him of Gaara. How in the face of all his pain he had given up and become the monster everyone had seen him as in order to protect himself.

He saw that in her...But...

She was just so...so...unmotivated. Dismissive. Impassioned.

Even as fucked up as Gaara’s methods were to ensure that his existence had meaning, at least he found a way to keep on living.

He would’ve thought acting would be her reason for living. The thing giving her life meaning.

But to him it just looked as if she had just stopped after giving up.

Hell Naruto was almost positive _Shikamaru_ had more motivation than her!

“Whether you like her or not, she’s our charge and we’re here to protect her” Kakashi reminded him, flipping through another page of his Icha Icha novel, “Lady Tsunade only reluctantly let the three of you come along on this important mission because our squad's past mission history spoke for itself. I don’t have to tell Lord Tobirama you need more etiquette lessons do I?”

Naruto blanched, paling at his Sensei’s threat.

“Important mission?” Sakura asked, curious if their mission really was as high stakes as Kakashi-sensei was implying.

“A B-ranked one to be exact” Kakashi elaborated.

And Lord Tobirama had not been happy with Lady Tsunade when he'd learned from Naruto that his Team was intentionally being sent on a B-ranked mission.

But the Village was still short-staffed from the Invasion. Even Shizune had to be sent on missions outside of the Village. So ultimately Lord Tobirama had to put his concerns to the wayside, silently making him promise that he'd better keep his Team safe.

As if he needed to promise that.

“I find it hard to believe that guarding some actress is B-rank worthy of a mission” Sasuke retorted, sounding both dismissive and bored as he continued to stare blankly out into the ocean.

“Are you forgetting our mission to Waves? Tazuna was merely a bridge builder and yet we encountered chunin and jonin level shinobi as well as political upheaval, conspiracy, and hired thugs” Kakashi chastised, “Actors are targeted all the time. And Yukie is currently very popular. Enemies can come from anywhere. Remember, even a D-rank mission can turn deadly if outside circumstances arise. Maintain your guard”

Sasuke clenched his teeth at the pointed reminder of the fact that a majority of their missions (and even the Chunin Exams) had somehow gone unexpectedly sideways.

Mizuki. Waves. Waterfall. Rivers. Frost.

They weren’t mockingly called “Lucky” Team 7 for nothing.

Though in his opinion the only thing lucky about their squad was the fact they were all still alive.

“Lights okay!”

“Sound okay!”

“Camera ready to go!”

Team 7 turned around to see that the crew had finished setting up the scene.

“Alright! Let’s do this!” Makino shouted through his bullhorn, “Start rolling from the first take!”

“Scene 23, cut 6, take 1, action!” Uchi loudly proclaimed.

Naruto watched in amazement as Yukie's expressionless face shifted to one of genuine horror.

“Shisimaru! Hang on!” 'Princess Gale' desperately pleaded, clinging to his tunic.

“Princess...I’m sorry I was of no use to you...Please forgive me” 'Shishimaru' struggled, his voice raspy.

“Don’t be ridiculous! It was thanks to you that we found our courage!” 'Princess Gale' tried to assure her friend...her love.

“Princess...I wanted to see beyond the rainbow...with you” 'Shishimaru' trailed off, dying at the end of his broken confession.

“Shisimaru!” 'Princess Gale' wailed.

“Such an amazing actress” Sakura muttered in amazement.

“A complete 180 from her actual personality” Naruto agreed in complete disbelief.

Maybe he was wrong about acting not being her motivation for existing...

“That is Yukie Fujikaze. Once the camera begins to roll there is no one who can come close to her skills as an actor” Sandayu praised, pride swelling in his chest.

“Alright stop there for now” Yukie proclaimed in the middle of the take, causing everyone to near face-fault.

“Huh?!”

“Sandayu I need the eye drops for my tears” Yukie near ordered, as if it should have been obvious.

“Right right! My apologies” Sandayu exclaimed, hurriedly making his way over to Yukie, cursing himself for getting distracted.

“Ready?” Makino asked, mildly annoyed but used to Yukie's inability to cry on command like most other actors could.

“Hurry they’re spilling over” Yukie frantically announced as Sandayu quickly exited back out of the shot and back next to a now _far_ less impressed Team 7.

“Shisimaru!”

‘I stand corrected’ Naruto grumbled mentally, ‘She isn’t different at all’

* * *

“Director!!!” Uchi cried out the next morning in horror.

“What the…” Makino mumbled, gazing at the largest iceberg he’d ever seen.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the structure.

There was no way that the iceberg was natural. 

He and his squad were on rotating shifts last night and there had been no iceberg in sight just 10 minutes ago.

The four of them had felt the drastic drop in temperature and decided to change into more appropriate clothing before the crew awoke.

There was no way the ship had just drifted into its path.

“When I woke up this morning I saw it blocking our path. What’d we do?!” Uchi asked Makino in a panic.

“This it is!” Makino exclaimed, making nearly everyone jump at the suddenness of his proclamation.

“Huh?” Uchi stated dumbly.

“You idiot! This is the perfect location for our film! How can you look upon this gift and not see it for what it is?!” Makino chastised.

“HUH?!” Uchi proclaimed.

“The Movie Gods are smiling down upon us! Everyone prepare to embark!” Makino ordered in excitement.

While there was a fair amount of grumbling by the crew, everyone did as the Director asked (read: demanded).

Both Naruto and Yukie yawned as they tried to warm their hands on the portable furnace while they waited for the set up to be finished.

Sakura couldn't help but be mildly impressed by the fact the actors could so quickly adjust to the sudden changes, and even be able to control their shivering and somehow seem like they were toasty warm even though they were standing in five inches of snow and likely freezing their butts off with how thin their robes actually were.

“Alright. We’re ready to roll. Stand by”

Doing what Kakashi-sensei had asked prior to exiting the ship, Naruto reached out with his senses to see if he could sense any enemy within their vicinity.

“Scene 36, cut 22. Action!” Uchi proclaimed.

“Hahahaha. So you came Princess Gale” ‘Mao’ cackled, revealing his presence atop the snowy cliff.

“Mao...But how?” 'Princess Gale' demanded in appalled shock, taking her sword out of its sheath.

“Princess please stay back!” Sukeakuro pleaded.

“We’ll take care of him!” Brit assured her, reaching for his 'sword'.

“You worthless fodder are no match for me!” 'Mao' scoffed, letting out a cry he pointed to the group to make another demanding proclamation, only for an explosion to ignite behind him.

“Is this in the scene?” 'Mao' questioned confused.

“Hey! What’d you think you’re doing?!” Uchi demanded irately at Kakashi not only inserting himself into their film, but using _actual_ explosives as well.

The moment Naruto's eyes widened in shock Kakashi knew his suspicions about the iceberg were founded.

Immediately reaching out his own senses and enhancing his sense of smell he confirmed the number of fingers Naruto had silently warned him.

Three enemy.

Everyone get back!” Kakashi demanded, his command absolute.

Before any of the crew could ask why, a figure appeared from beneath the Snow, disabling his Cloak of Invisibility technique.

“Welcome all to the Land of Snow” Nadare mockingly greeted.

"You!" Kakashi muttered in disbelief.

Sensing the woman had revealed herself he turned his head to see her atop one of the icy points.

“Princess Koyuki. I do hope you brought the Hex Crystal” Fubuki inquired, otherwise this would've all been a grand waste of their time.

“Princess Koyuki?!” Kakashi exclaimed, looking back at Yukie in disbelief.

How did he not piece that together earlier?! 

Kakashi then turned his attention to the third enemy revealing his position in the snow.

“As expected of the legendary Copy Ninja. Hiding was futile” Mizore accepted impressed, "But it's still not enough"

“Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, protect Yukie” Kakashi ordered, “Everyone get back to the ship!”

“Fubuki, Mizore, I leave the Princess to you” Nadare delegated, wanting Kakashi all to himself.

“Very well then” Fubuki stated disappointedly, wanting to test out her own skills against the jonin, but knew better than to challenge Nadare.

At Nadare's proclamation Kakashi immediately jumped up to meet him on the icy cliffs as he began making his way down, halting him from getting near his students.

“It’s been a while Kakashi. Hope you’re not planning to run like the last time” Nadare mocked.

“Nadara Raga” Kakshi acknowledged, keeping the wariness out of his bland tone.

Without preamble the two of them began to engage in a battle of taijutsu. Kakashi knowing better than to use ninjutsu directly against the Snow ninja.

At the sight of their Sensei engaging the enemy Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura immediately surrounded Yukie, Hidero, and Kin in a defensive crescent.

“I don’t know what’s in the script but I always wanted to be in the movies. Don’t you worry Princess, Naruto Uzumaki’s here to save ya!” Naruto proclaimed, rushing out to engage Mizore.

Seeing the blonde brat coming for him, Mizore snapped out his 'snowboard', using his enhanced chakra to propel himself forward at the Leaf genin with incredible speed.

Surprised at the speed Mizore was coming at him with, Naruto tried to jump out of the way, only to lose his traction on the snow and ice and barely manage to stumble away.

Trying to right himself, Naruto had barely enough time to slip out of Mizore's path as he came barreling for him yet again.

'Damn ice!' Naruto thought annoyed, 'I can't get a good footing!'

Seeing Naruto struggling with the ice and snow, Sasuke launched a bunch of kunai at the oaf, hoping to distract him long enough to give Naruto some time to collect himself.

When his kunai only bounced ineffectively away from Mizore, Sasuke took out his windmill shuriken, lacing it with lightning chakra and launching it at the Snow ninja in order to test out his developing theory on that strange armour of his.

Sure enough, Mizore didn't bother dodging the attack, Sasuke's shuriken breaking into pieces as it was repelled by the purple barrier around Mizore.

'A barrier jutsu?' Sasuke wondered, mildly annoyed that his windmill shuriken had been broken instead of repelled.

Having righted himself, Naruto weaved through several hand signs.

"Wind style: Breakthrough!" Naruto shouted, putting a good amount of chakra into his lungs as he blasted a huge torrent of wind at Mizore, vindictively hoping to knock the Snow ninja off his precious board.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura (who was still guarding the stunned actors) watched in disbelief as Mizore cut straight through the middle of the jutsu without it deterring him in the least.

Before Sasuke could try combining Naruto's wind with his fire, movement caught his eye.

"Ice style: Tsubame Blizzard" Fubuki shouted, releasing a swarm of ice birds at Sasuke.

'Ice style?!' Sasuke thought in shock, vaulting away from the attack.

Fubuki merely gave a vicious smirk, guiding the ice birds back around at Sasuke, almost like a homing beacon.

Learning from Naruto that he couldn't rely on his ability to dodge, Sasuke quickly weaved several hand signs, "Fire style: Fireball jutsu!"

Fire ripped through the air, melting the ice birds instantly.

Yukie froze at the sight of the flames.

_Burning. Everything was burning._

"Hurry! Back to the ship! Everyone!" Sakura ordered, watching as Michy and Kin finally snapped out of their shock and awe and made a run for it.

But Yukie didn't.

"Yukie!" Sakura called out, trying to snap her out of whatever trance the young woman was in.

She wanted to help her teammates, but she knew that someone had to protect Yukie, especially if the actress was too shocked to move.

And if she picked Yukie up it would leave them vulnerable to attack, and her unable to use her hands effectively to protect them.

"Princess!" Sandayu called out, rushing desperately to Yukie when he'd realized that she hadn't run back to the ship with the rest of the cast and crew.

Snapping out of her shock at the familiar voice, Yukie turned to Sandayu in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"Ice prison" Fubuki announced, focusing her chakra on the manipulation of the ice and snow below her fingertips.

'Shit. If I'm hit by that I'm done' Sasuke thought, trying to keep himself as steady as possible as he leaped up and off the ground in smaller hops, leaping high into the air to dodge the last pillar of ice.

Weaving the signs for the Fireball jutsu once more Sasuke silently let out a raging torrent of flames rushing down at Fubuki.

Smirking, Fubuki focused the ice up in front of her as a shield, letting the flames rush past her ineffectively.

Chakra shield or not she'd rather not be engulfed in flames.

The sight of the wave of flames caused Yukie to freeze once again in horror.

_Shattered mirrors._

_Her Father's corpse._

_Her home burning to the ground._

_"Faatheeerrrr!!!" A young Koyuki screamed, tears dripping down her face as her heart tore apart more and more the further the ninja took her away from the ruins of her life._

Her mind swirling endlessly in painful memories as she collapsed to her knees.

Meanwhile Naruto was struggling to find a good way to combat Mizore.

"Water style: Wild Water Wave!" Naruto called out, sending a heavy stream of water rushing out at Mizore, only for it to part away from him ineffectively the moment it came into contact with the Snow ninja's barrier.

"Damn it!" Naruto growled, bracing himself.

Getting ready to dodge, Mizore surprised him by jumping off his board and punching out at him with the metal claw on his hand.

Though he was faster, the ice cut Naruto's traction, tripping him up and knocking him more and more off his feet as he struggled to dodge Mizore's heavy punches.

Unfortunately, having to jump up and dodge Mizore's attempt to kick out his legs caused Naruto to completely lose his footing, and as he flailed Mizore activated the jet in his mechanical hand, propelling his fist forward at a faster speed and punching Naruto hard in his stomach, smashing him through layers and layers of the ice behind him.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called out in concern, leaving his fight with Nadare to protect his student.

"Water style: Water Dragon jutsu!" Kakashi called out, knowing I'd be ineffective but that it would still get Mizore to back off as he rushed to Naruto's aid.

"Keep the camera rolling even if it kills you! Show them the result of the cinematographer!" Making determinedly proclaimed, ignoring the fact Uchi and the rest of his stage crew had resorted to manually lifting up his Director's chair and running back to the ship with him when he refused to willingly leave.

Kakashi immediately landed behind Naruto, covering his back as he righted himself.

"Sensei, there's something weird about their armour!" Naruto began to relay.

"Yeah I know. Just be careful it's chakra armour, created by the ninja here in the Land of Snow" Kakashi told him warily.

"Chakra armour?" Naruto asked confused.

“But it’s definitely a lot stronger than it used to be” Kakashi noted grimly.

"So you remember” Nadare dralled, “The armor increases the chakra within the body. Strengthening a handful of the more useful jutsu. A chakra barrier gathers around us as well, able to deflect the chakra of our adversaries. As a result, ninjutsu and genjutsu are rendered useless”

Both Naruto and Kakashi growled in frustration at both Nadare’s clear arrogance, and the severe disadvantage that armor left them at.

Satisfied with himself, Nadare's expression turned serious as he weaved through hand signs of his own, "Ice style: Dragon Versus Tiger!"

"Water style: Water Dragon!" Kakashi called out, answering Nadare’s challenge right back.

Unfortunately the Ice Tiger immediately turned Kakashi’s Water Dragon to ice and continued to barrel straight for him and Naruto, forcing them to jump out of the way, the Tiger hitting the ice and shattering the ground beneath them, the blast knocking Naruto through the air.

Taking advantage of the blonde's distraction Mizore boarded over to their target, reaching out his mechanical arm he launched threads from a compartment in the front, wrapping them around Yukie.

Immediately Sakura rushed over and sliced through the threads with her new chakra bladed tanto, standing firm between Yukie and danger.

"Outa the way little girl!" Mizore shouted, making a move to punch Sakura, only to be blindsided by Naruto getting blasted into him instead, knocking him off his board.

Fed up with the brat, Mizore grabbed Naruto's jacket and flung him out of the way before he had the chance to right himself, activating his extendable mechanical hand, launching it at Yukie in order to grab her and make a break for it.

Sending chakra into her tanto, Sakura sped over in-between Mizore's attack and Yukie. Striking out against the metal hand with her tanto, hoping to at least use the barrier to her advantage and knock it off course.

However the armour merely deflected her chakra, the metal smashing her tanto to pieces the moment it made contact with the steel, the hand slamming hard into Sakura's arm and side, gripping her tightly.

Taking advantage of the situation Mizore harshly retracted his arm, yanking Sakura toward him and proceeding to smash her hard into the icy floor below, knocking her unconscious.

"Sakura!" Naruto called out in desperate worry.

"Princess we need to go!" Sandayu pleaded.

_Shattered mirrors. Her Father’s corpse. Fire, smoke, and tears._

_“Father!” Koyuki screamed, her tears freezing on her face as she watched her entire life go up in flames from the sled she was escaping in._

“Princess you’ve got to go now! You’re life-”

"I don’t care if I die!" Yukie exclaimed, still half trapped in her memories, "I-I won't go back to the Land of Snow!"

"We don't have time for this!" Naruto snapped, summoning a bunch of Shadow Clones to rush at Mizore.

Mizore just scoffed, readying himself to smash the flies.

Naruto just smirked, "Boom".

The moment his Clones were close enough Naruto blew them up, causing a giant crater as the technique kicked up ice and snow.

The explosion was the final straw.

Her mind not being able to handle the strain any longer, Yukie collapsed unconscious, Sandayu kneeling beside her in frantic concern.

Dodging Ice Prisons Sasuke nearly lost his focus hearing Naruto yell out Sakura's name, causing him to slide sideways on the ice.

That momentary loss of traction gave Fubuki the opportunity she needed to catch him.

As he jumped up to try and dodge, Sasuke looked down in horror as his foot was trapped, the rest of his body quickly freezing solid immediately after.

Fubuki briefly smirked in triumph, only for her smile to drop as 'Sasuke' faded away to reveal the portable furnace that had been left behind, exploding tag now attached.

"What?!" Fubuki demanded.

As the tag ignited kunai with gasoline dipped wires shot out from a spring trap embedded to the furnace, the flames following along the wires.

‘Shit! I can’t let that hit me!” Fubuki thought in a panic.

But before she could jump away the wires wrapped around her, trapping her to her own ice wall.

As the explosion barreled its way toward her, Fubuki continuously opened and closed her mechanical wings until the force broke apart the wires.

The moment the wires snapped Fubuki was engulfed in flames.

Bracing himself, Sasuke waited to see if his attack had finished the snow ninja off.

He got his answer a moment later when Fubuki soared out of the smoke and into the sky.

Hearing that Sakura had been hurt Kakashi immediately turned his back to Nadare again to make sure his students were okay.

"Don’t be in such a hurry. We’re not finished yet!" Nadare growled out, annoyed that Kakashi was continually ignoring him as if he were some inconvenient bug, "Ice style: White Whale jutsu!"

Suddenly an enormous ice whale breached out of the water, cutting Kakashi’s exit off off, separating a chunk of ice from the main iceberg.

"That was impressive...Now it's my turn" Kakashi threateningly growled as he landed atop on ice perch, Sharingan spinning wildly.

"Naruto! Get everyone out of here!" Kakashi ordered.

Hearing his Sensei, Naruto immediately created a ton of Shadow Clones, each of them lifting his teammates or charges either onto his back or into his arms as they rushed back to the ship.

"Ice style: White Whale jutsu" Kakashi announced, a giant ice whale breaching out of the ocean.

"Still copying my moves huh? You won't settle this fight doing that" Nadare mocked, creating another White Whale of his own.

"Settle the fight?" Kakashi scoffed, "That wasn't exactly what I was aiming for at the moment"

"What?" Nadare demanded, confused.

Suddenly, Kakashi's Whale knocked Nadare's into the middle of the iceberg, smashing it to pieces and consequently removing it from the ship’s path.

The icy wind from the destruction of the iceberg knocked the ship back, waves rocking the vessel dangerously, though the situation itself barely phased Makino at all.

“Aaaannnddd cut!” Makino triumphantly cried out.

“Man. I hope we got all of that…” Uchi muttered, huddling to the deck of the ship in shocked disbelief over what he’d just witnessed.

Meanwhile, Nadare, Fubuki, and Mizore landed atop a broken slab of ice, staring down the departing ship with grim, fearful expressions.

Doto was not going to be happy.

* * *

Once they were safely out of Nadare’s range Kakashi was able to breathe a little easier.

Fortunately Sakura’s arm had only been bruised from the awkward angle she’d been grabbed. She had a very mild concussion from being thrown onto the ice, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t use her Healing jutsu to fix.

Naruto’s own healing factor would see to it that within a few hours he’d be back to perfect health.

He’d already apologized for not warning all of them about the function of the chakra armor sooner. It had left the three of them at a distinct disadvantage that could’ve cost them their lives.

Of course his adorable little genin just shrugged off his apologies, more eager to start forming strategies and battle plans than deal with the what the ifs.

That being said, there was something he needed to see for himself before they started kicking around any kind of ideas.

Curious, Kakashi made his way into Yukie’s room where she was sleeping off her pain. Her mind taking the time it needed to handle the stress and trauma it had been under due to all the flashbacks she suffered during the fight.

Taking the necklace into his palm, Kakashi couldn’t help the grim nostalgia that passed through him at the sight of the unusually shaped sparkly jewel.

‘Ten years’ he thought, ‘It’s been a long time Princess’

Kakashi turned when he heard the door knob turn.

“We docked a moment ago” Sandayu solemnly informed him.

Kakashi placed the necklace down onto the side table and left the room with the manager.

It was time for everyone to know the truth.

* * *

Kakashi had his Team, Makino, Uchi, and Sandayu gather in one of the spare planning rooms to discuss the most recent events...Or rather bring everything to light.

“You’ve known all along...Haven’t you Sandayu?” Kakashi softly accused, knowing harsh words wouldn’t get him what he needed right now (though he was pissed beyond belief at the fact his squad was put in harm’s way yet again because another client lied about the mission).

“Yes” Sandayu admitted, not able to look Makino or Uchi in the eyes.

“Didn’t you even consider the risks if she went back to the Land of Snow?” Kakashi inquired, genuinely curious as to what the man had been thinking.

“You’re right of course” Sandayu admitted, “But this was the only way I could think of to get the Princess to return home”

“Come on Sandayu, you don’t have to keep calling her that. I mean she’s only royalty on the big screen. It’s not like she’s actually a Princess” Naruto chuckled, trying to get some levity in the tense atmosphere.

“Actually...She is” Kakashi corrected.

Team 7 just blinked in confusion.

“Yukie Fujikaze is just an alias. Her real name is Princess Koyuki Kazahana. The rightful heir to the Land of Snow’s throne” Kakashi revealed.

“What?!” Naruto and Sakura exclaimed in tandem.

Sasuke’s eyes widened fractionally in disbelief, “We’re guarding a Daimyo?”

“So it would seem” Kakashi replied.

Though his tone was casual, even borderline dismissive and droll, the members of Team 7 could tell their Sensei was _not_ happy with the sudden turn of events.

“I first met her a long time ago. I was her aid when she was just a little girl...I don’t blame her for not remembering. It was a long time ago” Sandayu began, looking at the grains of the table, unable to face the others.

“I used to work for the former leader of the country, Lord Sosetsu Kazahana. We weren’t a large nation, but we were a haven of peace. Lord Sosetsu, he absolutely adored his daughter...Those were idyllic times” Sandayu said, sounding wistful, however his face quickly twisted to one of anger.

“But ten years ago, on that cursed day!” Sandayu growled, his break in composure surprising Team 7 (minus Kakashi), “Lord Sosetsu’s younger brother Doto hired a group of Snow ninja and instigated a revolt. A coup d'etat!...The magnificent Kazahana Castle burned to the ground. And I had feared that the Princess had perished as well!”

_“Keep your face hidden! They could still find us!” Kakashi ordered, the fear in his tone hiding none of his desperation as his wolves dragged their makeshift dog sled through the howling winds of the snowy mountains._

_The Kazahana Castle was a pillar of flames lighting up the darkness of the night._

_“Father!” Kyoyuki cried out from beneath the thin blanket covering her, paying no heed to the ninja’s warning as she leaned into the wind around the arrows and kunai jammed in the back of the sled._

“There was no way we could defeat them. We had to keep running. We had to get away” Kakashi solemnly, bitterly admitted, his eyes closing at the reminder of his failure.

“What?!” Naruto demanded in shock.

“Sensei, you were there?!” Sakura exclaimed in a shock of her own.

Sasuke just narrowed his eyes at his teacher, recalling a few of Nadare’s barbs at Kakashi that he’d managed to overhear.

“Lord Sosetsu requested emergency assistance from the Leaf Village. A few select Anbu were sent to assist in either ending the coup or getting the Daimyo and his family to safety...Unfortunately we were grossly unprepared for what was to come. Lord Sosetsu was murdered and I barely managed to escape the country with Princess Koyuki alive” Kakashi shamefully revealed.

“The chakra armor” Sasuke realized.

Kakashi nodded.

He lost several comrades that day to that accursed technology.

“Doto loved technology as much as Lord Sosetsu. But unlike Lord Sosetsu he was not in the business of using it to help the people of our country. He was only interested in creating _weapons_ ” Sandayu scowled, clenching his fists in anger, “Doto cut a deal with the current leader of the Village Hidden in the Snow. He outfitted some of the shinobi of the Village with chakra armor, and in return they made him the Daimyo”

Sasuke’s eyes darkened with a deep aching hatred.

The man had murdered his own brother. Tried to murder his own niece. And for what? Power?

Doto reminded him too much of Danzo and he didn’t like it.

“Myself and several other attendants managed to escape back to my home village. Our exile enough for Doto. The lot of us deemed unworthy enough to even bother sending the ninja after us to finish the job” Sandayu scowled in contempt.

_“You are still weak little brother”_

Sasuke internally scowled.

“I had lost all hope. But the day I discovered that our beloved Princess was still alive, I was practically beside myself with joy” Sandayu exclaimed, his tears spilling over in relief even though he’d been with her for the last year and a half, “She was alive after all these years”

“I should’ve died back then” a voice unfeelingly cut in.

The group turned to see Yukie leaning on the door-frame, expression blank and cold.

“You mustn’t say such things! You have no idea how frantic we all were! Praying day in and day out that you were alive!” Sandayu pleaded her to understand.

“I’m alive...But my heart is dead” Yukie bluntly proclaimed, her tone soft, but her words sharper than blades.

Yeah...Naruto definitely felt the legitimacy of her claims.

Sakura’s eyes softened mildly in sorrow and pity. At least now her...emotionlessness made more sense.

“After that day, any tears I had left dried up” Yukie continued callously.

Her tears had done nothing. Crying, caring, praying had done nothing.

Despite hearing Yukie’s harsh words Sandayu soldiered on to finish his story, wiping his tears away from underneath his glasses.

“I just happened to be making my way into the Land of Fire to see if I could recruit the Leaf Village’s help once again when by chance I saw it. The cover of a magazine regaling the rising star Yukie Fujikaze. One look and I knew that she was our lost Princess! Wanting to be by her side again I became the manager for Yukie Fujikaze, biding my time waiting for the day I could escort her back home to the Land of Snow” Sandayu exclaimed.

“So what are you saying? That all of this time you’ve just been using us?” Uchi demanded crossly.

“I apologize for deceiving you. But…”, Sandayu stood up, frantically making his way over to Yukie, “It was for the sake of the Land of Snow’s people!”

Sandayu prostrated himself in front of Yukie.

“Princess Koyuki, confront Doto and assume your rightful place as leader of our Land! I will sacrifice my life without hesitation to protect you! I beg you! Take up arms and lead your people!” Sandayu pleaded desperately.

Everyone waited with bated breath for Yukie’s reply.

Sakura couldn’t help the roaring fire of hope flickering inside her at Sandayu’s plea.

Hearing Sandayu's plead for vengeance solidified Sasuke’s decision. They would help.

All the determination and energy Naruto felt at Sandayu's plea died into a seething anger the moment he felt Yukie’s cold dismissiveness. 

“I don’t think so” Yukie all but scoffed, “You’ve gotta be kidding me”

“But, what about your people?” Sandayu pleaded, looking up, his expression utterly crushed.

“I could care less about them. Just forget it” Yukie dismissed, turning away from her manager so she didn’t have to see the disappointment on his face.

“But Princess…” Sandayu tried.

“Just give it up already! No matter what you do you will never get rid of Doto!” Yukie lashed out, remembering her Uncle’s cruel laughter and mocking sneers when she told him her Father was dead, the sinister joy on his face when he claimed responsibility for destroying her entire world.

“So what? He should just give up?! Quit being so heartless!” Naruto shouted furiously, smacking his hand hard against the table, “Can’t you see this poor man has given his entire life to the realization of this dream?! You keep insulting him like that and you’ll be dealing with me lady!”

How _dare_ she just trample on Sandayu’s, on her _country’s_ , hopes and dreams!

She had hundreds, thousands of people counting on her and she was just going to wave away her responsibilities because of what? Fear and self-pity?

Just because she didn’t like the position she was in, just because things seemed impossible, just because she was hurt, it didn’t give her a reason to bail out!

You didn't see him running for the hills trying to escape those who needed him!

“Naruto…” Sandayu muttered, touched by the boy’s defense.

“As long as there is hope one may dream. And with those dreams the future comes...I like it! It’s the perfect theme for our next Princess Gale movie” Makino announced, speaking for the first time since the meeting began.

“Huh? Director, you’re not seriously considering moving forward with the film after everything that’s happened are you?” Uchi demanded in disbelief.

“I told you. The movie is evolving” Makino smirked, unconcerned with Uchi’s concerns.

Uchi on the other hand choked on his own shock, unable to find any words to say in the face Makino’s decision.

“Just think about it. How often do you get the chance to make a movie with a real Princess? We’re looking at a chance of a lifetime here” Makino reminded him, trying to give Uchi some incentive.

“...You’re right!” Uchi realized excitedly, “Think of the buzz! Even the making of will be a hit! We’re sitting on a sure-fire blockbuster!”

“Hey!” Yukie exclaimed, mildly annoyed at Uchi’s sudden change of tune.

“Unfortunately there’s only one course of action” Kakashi cut in, now that he had confirmation on whether Makino and Sandayu wanted to continue on with the mission, “Now that Doto’s on our trail, running isn’t an option. We have to fight. It’s our only chance of getting through this”

“Okay! Time to continue the mission! The Princess returns to the Land of Snow and shows that creep who’s Boss!” Naruto proclaimed, his determination back in full-throttle.

“Stop joking around!” Yukie shouted, her composure finally broken, “The movies aren’t like real life. There is no such thing as a happy ending in this world!”

“Of course there is if you’re willing to fight for it!” Makino growled out in frustration, his voice firm and unwavering as he cut Yukie’s claim into ribbons, silencing her and the rest of the group with his uncharacteristic seriousness.

Naruto smirked at the old man’s determination, he couldn’t agree more!

“Normally under these circumstances I’d head back to the Village for a little bit of help, but…” Kakashi trailed off.

“It’s a waste of time. We’re as fine as we can be. Besides, it’s nothing we can’t handle” Sasuke finished, his casual confidence radiating off him.

“The stakes aren’t any different from our missions to protect Tazuna, Lord Shibuki, and Lady Shirahime” Sakura piggybacked confidently, “I say we finish your mission from ten years ago Sensei!”

“Oh thank you all!” Sandayu said, grateful tears building in his eyes.

“That’s it then. We’re going ahead with this picture!” Makino decided triumphantly.

“And you can bet that this one’ll have a happy ending!” Uchi proclaimed.

“That’s right!” Naruto whole-heartedly agreed.

‘Somehow I have a feeling I’m going to be making myself very scarce when we get back to the Village’ Kakashi thought, already dreading Lord Tobirama’s unavoidable impending anger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the first half of the mission to the Land of Snow! I know it was a movie but it was mentioned in the Konoha hiden and Gaara hiden novels, so I decided to include it. Next chapter really delves into information that wasn't in the movie, but about the Land of Snow itself!
> 
> There will also be a lot learned about Kakashi and the Hatake clan in the next chapter ;)


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> The second half of the mission to the Land of Snow is complete!
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Third POV)**

The crew had packed everything into vans and trailers and slowly made their way across the snow-covered roadways. Team 7 taking advantage of the convenience used the time to go over what they knew.

“And since the armor renders anything chakra based useless that explains why my tanto wasn’t deflected by the barrier and why Sasuke’s shuriken was broken as well” Sakura realized, analyzing and reanalyzing every detail of the fight and the enemies’ abilities in order to find a weak spot they could exploit.

Kakashi nodded, “Exactly”.

“They could use ice release” Sasuke stated, thinking back to the last time their Team had faced an ice-user.

How he and Naruto had almost been killed.

‘Chakra enforced ice’ Sasuke recalled, ‘Depending on the technique not even fire release can melt it alone...Though if I combine my fire with Naruto’s wind it may tip the scales in our favor’

“Sensei, I thought kekkei genkai couldn’t be copied by the Sharingan? You were able to copy Nadare’s jutsu” Sakura inquired curiously.

“The ice release used by the ninja of the Land of Snow is different from the kekkei genkai ice release” Kakashi corrected.

“You can use ice release without having the kekkei genkai?” Naruto inquired skeptically, his nose scrunching in confusion as he tried to figure out just how that was even possible.

“The Land of Snow used to be a purely samurai country, a part of the Land of Iron before it broke away and formed its own government with its own Daimyo. About sixty years ago a faction of samurai disputed that they should be changing with the times, learning their own brand of ninjutsu in order to ensure their safety from the shinobi, who at the time were starting to ally with each other and form sophisticated societies. The faction broke away from the Land of Iron and with the permission of the Land of Snow’s Daimyo formed the Village Hidden in the Snow. The ex-samurai used their advanced training in chakra flow to manipulate the ice and snow around them, enabling them to use their own version of ice release” Kakashi informed them.

“That’s incredible! Their shape transformation must be on a whole other level” Sakura muttered, “...Although, I don’t think all of them are capable of using those techniques. Mizore relied primarily on technology in all his fights while Nadare and Fubuki used ice release”

While that would normally be a point in their favor, Mizore’s taijutsu was formidable, and his armor would nullify her chakra enhanced attacks.

Even though Ibiki-sensei had been working on strength training with her, her taijutsu was still nowhere near good enough to take him head-on. Meaning she needed to find another way to combat the Snow ninja.

“Wow Kakashi-sensei, you sure know a lot about the Land of Snow” Naruto commented, impressed.

“Mah, the Land of Iron is my ancestral home after all” Kakashi casually revealed.

“Huh?” Naruto inquired dumbly, “Ancestral?”

“It means it’s where his Clan is descended from Dobe” Sasuke mocked, his tone casual, though he was side-eying Kakashi with immense interest.

Their Sensei never mentioned anything about his Clan, and it wasn’t as if the Academy had covered it either.

“Why you!” Naruto growled, giving Sasuke an irritated glare.

“Your Clan used to be samurai?” Sasuke speculated, ignoring Naruto completely in favor of gathering more information on their Sensei.

Kakashi was silent for a moment, gazing out the trailer’s window at the snow covered terrain.

“The Hatake were a family of farmers who later migrated to what would later be called the Land of Iron. From there they became a line of chakra-using samurai. The Guards of the Three Wolves Mountains. They had a...special connection with the white wolves of the Land there” Kakashi explained, sounding distant.

He hadn’t thought about his Clan in a long time.

“So...If your family were samurai, then how did they become shinobi?” Naruto inquired curiously, unsure if he should ask with the light lonely nostalgia wading off of his Sensei.

“About 500 years ago my family migrated to the Land of Fire, going back to their roots as farmers, though unlike before they worked alongside the wolves who had become their partners during their time in the Land of Iron. When the other Clans began to become a problem they started expanding away from their former samurai traditions and ended up becoming an official shinobi clan...Though I guess that ends with me I suppose” Kakashi trailed off, sounding more like he was discussing the weather and not the extinction of his entire bloodline.

Once upon a time he’d cared.

Wanted to get married and revive his Clan.

Officially he was the last surviving member of the Hatake family. 

The 29th generation of his Clan (as it related to their shinobi status anyway).

And all his family’s history and traditions would die with him.

Hell if you wanted to be technical he had stopped following many of his Clan’s traditions after his Father’s death.

Back then he had wanted to be the opposite of his Father. And out of spite stopped using his wolf summons and avoided forming anything that could be considered a ‘Pack’.

Of course he didn’t forego everything. Like the chakra enhanced senses of his Clan, their skills with tracking (and hunting).

Tracking was a key shinobi ability after all...But he couldn’t make himself use his wolf summons.

So instead he rebelled and collected several ninken to train instead.

The first time Tsume Inuzuka saw him with Pakkun he swore she busted a gut laughing.

The Hatake and Inuzuka had been amicable rival clans long before the Leaf Village was formed. Occasionally allying with each other during the Warring States Era, however their differences in Pack structure and partners left them competitive and critical of one another.

Kakashi was certain his ancestors would be chasing him around the afterlife screaming traitor.

Escaping with Princess Koyuki from the Land of Snow had been the first time he summoned his wolves since he was four.

He wondered if he’d be forced to do so again.

Then again...Perhaps he’d been running away for too long as well.

“And the Council’s not…” Naruto inquired softly, trailing off.

He’d been given basically no choice in whether he wanted to revive his Clans or not.

Even if he said no to getting married and gave everyone the middle finger, by law it was within the rights of the Council to intervene in Clan matters if any of the Clans were on the verge of extinction in order to ensure that the Clan(s) wouldn’t suffer such a fate (and there was no freaking way in any lifetime he would ever let the Council have free reign over how his samples at the sperm bank were used).

…….Of course there was also the matter of his own personal sense of duty not to let his heritage just die out (which was the only reason he was putting up with the CRP at all).

“Oh they are” Kakashi corrected, sounding blase, “But it’s always so hard to make the meeting times. All those poor old ladies that need help. Cats trapped in trees”

The trio couldn’t help but sweatdrop at their Sensei’s blatant disregard for the Council’s summons.

Sakura wasn’t sure how to feel about her Sensei’s view of his Clan’s fate.

A part of her couldn't believe he was fine with letting all that history disappear...But she honestly couldn't say how she'd feel if she was faced with the same situation.

Unlike her teammates she didn’t have to deal with the stress and pressures of being forced to be subjected to the CRP...Or even the pressures of being the heir since her Father left her out of the Clan’s affairs...So she always felt a bit...lost in these discussions.

Sasuke and Naruto on the other hand couldn’t help but feel a little jealous (and bitter) at the fact Kakashi was strong enough to do as he pleased (at least for now).  
With the Uchiha clan down to eight members, and Itachi a “rogue ninja” and having been disinherited before the Massacre, the continuation of the Main Branch of the Clan fell to Sasuke.

Once he became chunin he would officially be given the title as Clan Head (Or when he turned eighteen, whichever came first). And According to the Council he was fully expected to get married and have several children. Whether or not he chose to have more than one wife or mistress was up to him.

It made him sick.

When he said he wanted to “restore the Uchiha clan to its rightful glory” he meant its _honor_. Not _numbers._

With the news of the Council’s enforcement of the CRP for all Clans, brainless fangirls have been throwing themselves at him more than ever. Some because their parents wanted to further their political status, but most because they had some ridiculous view of romance in their minds.

Honestly, somebody needed to give them all a reality check.

‘As if I would pick any of them to marry. They’re weak, pathetic, and don't know me at all’ Sasuke internally scoffed, glancing out of the corner of his eyes at Sakura.

Though she was obviously saddened by Kakashi’s talk, sensing that the conversation was finished she went back to running through the calculations and trying to come up with a way to fight the Snow ninja.

Sasuke was sure she would. Sakura was smart, and resourceful enough to get the job done.

Suddenly, they felt the trailer come to a halt.

“Oh good! I need to take a leak!” Naruto exclaimed, rushing out of the vehicle.

Sasuke and Sakura rolled their eyes at Naruto's antics.

As Kakashi exited the trailer he gave the mouth of the cave they had halted in front of a critical once over, not bothering to turn around when Sandayu came up beside him.

"The hideout is just past the cave. When we get to the other side the Director plans to shoot a few scenes, and then we will make our way there" Sandayu explained, gazing upon the mountainside with a renewed vigor, “Everyone is eagerly awaiting their Princess’ return”

"Alright! We're rolling back out!"

"Mind if I join you all this time?" Sandayu inquired.

"By all means" Kakashi told him.

As the Vans got rolling again Naruto and Sakura looked out the window in fascination at the trailer made its way through the cave.

"You know, long ago there used to be railroad tracks all throughout these caves" Sandayu began, not being able to help himself from telling the kids about his homeland.

"Railroad tracks?" Naruto inquired, wondering what the hell that was.

"That's right. The tracks are covered over by ice now though" Sandayu noted wistfully.

Finally making through the other end of the tunnel Makino eagerly exited his trailer, “All right people, let’s get this show on the road!”

“Director!” Uchi yelled out in frantic concern, making his way out of Yukie’s trailer.

“What is it?” Makino grumbled.

“Yukie’s disappeared again!” Uchi gasped out.

“What?!” Makino demanded.

Hearing Uchi’s proclamation, Team 7 sped past a stunned Sandayu, their feet crunching in the snow as they hopped along the edge of the mountain to find their troublesome charge.

“She likely ran off during our brief stop before going through the mountain. She has no chakra for us to track. Split up and search the surrounding area. Radio in if you find her” Kakashi ordered, bounding down the west-side of the mountain.

“Roger!”

Halting his smaller leaps, Naruto paused on a small outcropping, glaring down at the increasing amount of trees and forest below him.

‘Emotions don’t require chakra’ Naruto thought sharply, after taking a moment he decided to continue his way down the mountainside, keeping his senses open.

* * *

‘Join the rebels. Oppose Doto. As if. Absolutely not’ Yukie thought with a scoff, as she ran the best she could down the mountain, the snow and incline slowing her up somewhat.

Oppose Doto. 

They’d all just be slaughtered.

Doto didn’t care about life. Just power. Just himself.

He spent his life designing weapons to kill with maximum efficiency.

His defenses would be absolute, and he had the loyalty of the Village Hidden in the Snow backing his, all outfitted with his technology and the most powerful among them with his most prized creation, the chakra armor.

How the hell did they think they could combat that?

All their so called special techniques are rendered useless!

It was just all pathetic hopes and baseless confidence.

If they wanted to die then by all means leave her out of it!

Suddenly, Yukie’s foot caught on a root hidden beneath the snow, pitching her forward, tumbling down the mountain and through the snow.

Eventually landing with a thunk where the incline began to even out.

Exhausted and freezing Yukie’s body refused to move.

For the longest time she just laid there, the soft flurry drifting over her.

Finally unable to fight the weight hanging over her, her eyes drifted shut.

_“If you look close enough you can see the future” her Father told her gently._

_“I can’t see anything” Koyuki said, tilting her head sideways in the mirrors in confusion._

_“Don’t worry. Once the spring comes you’ll see” he told her with a small chuckle._

_“Spring?” Koyuki asked, curious what that was._

‘You’re a liar Father. There is no spring in this Land’  
Yukie thought, hating herself for remembering such disappointment.

Hearing the crunch of snow Yukie opened her eyes.

“Geez, how long are you going to try and run away from your responsibilities?” Naruto grumbled, having already radioed in to Kakashi-sensei that he’d picked up on Yukie’s emotions nearby.

Sitting herself up Yukie wasn’t sure what to say as Naruto gazed down at her annoyed.

“Come on. Everyone’s waiting” he grumbled, his voice calm, but his expression made it clear he was done playing around.

Wordlessly Yukie allowed Naruto to sit her on his back as they made their way up the mountain.

The silence between them hovering like a cloud of fog.  
Nearing the exit of the cave Yukie couldn’t stand the silence any longer.

“Why do you always come after me?” she asked softly, needing to know the answer to his persistence.

“Because it’s my mission” Naruto answered matter-of-factly, “No matter how many times you run I’ll just keep coming after you...Just try and hide. I’m gonna find you”

For a moment Yukie said nothing, finally understanding the futility of trying to escape.

“Even if we go back I’m just going to act for the camera. Nothing else” she said stubbornly.

Naruto couldn’t help but sniff at her consistent stubborn denial, but at least she didn’t sound like she was going to run away again (not that he fully trusted her though).

* * *

Makino tapped his rolled script impatiently on his leg from his Director’s chair, hoping the ninja would be bringing Yukie back soon so they could begin rolling.

Suddenly, tracks popped up out of the snow in front of them from below the ice and snow.

“What is that?” Makino inquired curiously, not having ever seen structures like that in his lifetime.

Sandayu let out a surprised gasp at the familiar rails, rushing forward to inspect them better.

“It’s chakra” he exclaimed, “There’s chakra running through the rails, melting the ice”

There was only one reason the railroad would suddenly be active again.

Standing quickly, Sandayu turned to face the rest of the movie crew.

“You all need to pack up immediately and hide! You musn’t let them see you!” Sandayu cried out, immediately trekking his way up the snow covered embankment.

‘I need to get to the hideout now!’ he thought desperately, hoping that he would make it in time.

Doto will fall today!

* * *

Startled, Naruto looked critically at the foreign structures on the ground that appeared out of nowhere, brimming with chakra.

‘What are these?’ Naruto wondered suspiciously.

But before he could even ask Yukie a loud whistle-like sound echoed through the cave, a faintly light growing brighter and brighter around the corner behind them.

“It’s...a train” Yukie said in disbelief, not having seen or heard one since her youth.

“A train? What’s a train?” Naruto asked her, confused.

Suddenly a rampaging metal monster came around the corner, speeding faster than any car right in their direction.

“Oh Shit!” Naruto exclaimed, realizing that that said train was about to turn them into roadkill (he decided that he didn’t like trains).

Crouching lower he sprinted forward as fast as he could. The whistle of the train getting louder and louder behind him.

“It’s gaining on us!” Yukie frantically warned, not being able to help looking over her shoulder.

“Not if I can help it!” Naruto shouted, growling as he forced himself to run faster.

Despite Naruto’s efforts the train grew closer and closer, clinging to his cloak Yukie tucked her head on his shoulder awaiting their inevitable deaths, “This is totally pointless! You can’t outrun it! We’re going to die!”

“This isn’t over! I’ll be dead before I give up! Even if you’re ready to call it quits I’m not giving up ever!” Naruto shouted in frustrated determination.

He wasn’t going to die here.

NO WAY!

Sending all the chakra he could to his feet, Naruto used it to propel his every step faster and faster.

“Come on come on come on come on come on” Naruto chanted to himself, willing his body to move faster, “Come on come on come on come on come on”

Yukie’s breath caught in amazement when they actually started moving away from the train.

‘No way…’ Yukie thought in disbelief.

Just then, the bright light of the exit blinded them.

Yukie gripped Naruto’s shoulders even tighter, hope and determination flowing through her.

For the first time in a long time she believed.

Reaching the mouth of the cave Naruto immediately veered left, leaping over the tracks and collapsing on his back into the snow, the wind of the train cutting into their backs as it passed.

Gasping for breath the two of them laid in the snow in absolute relief. The cold particularly welcome as far as Naruto was concerned.

Yukie was just stunned in grateful disbelief.

They made it...They actually made it.

Suddenly, Naruto started laughing hysterically, causing Yukie to look at him as if he’d lost his marbles.

“Told ya we’d make it” Naruto said smugly, his ears picking up the screech of metal on metal as the train slowly came to a stop a good distance from them.

Suddenly, the sound of hydraulics filled the area, a platform lifting up out of the locomotive.

“It’s been a long time Koyuki” a voice announced, projected over several speakers from within the train.

Koyuki gasped in fear, “I knew it. It’s Doto”.

“It’s been ten years my Dear. Don’t be shy. Let’s get a look at that face” Doto mocked as he literally and metaphorically looked down upon his niece.

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Naruto stood up, intentionally positioning himself in front of Yukie, glaring her sleeze-ball of an Uncle down with all the disgust he could express.

Doto frowned at the arrogant brat who dared insert himself in a situation he had no business.

But before he could order Nadare to dispose of the pest a roaring sound cut through the silence.

Towering logs came barreling down at the train from the top of the hill, crashing into the metal monster with an impressive force, although the train held firm against the impact.

Shifting their gaze to the top of the hill, their view was met with the sight of countless samurai littering the skyline.

“There you have it men! Our beloved Princess Koyuki is here to watch over us! With her at our side victory is ours!” Sandayu roared, alighting the flames of his fellow rebels’ determination, a resounding cry of agreement echoing through the mountain.

“Those must be the reinforcements Sandayu talked about” Naruto muttered in awe.

‘All those men…’ Yukie thought in amazement, ‘Are willing to fight…’

“Hear me Doto! We’ve waited a long time for this day of reckoning to come. I, Sandayu Asama, and an army of fifty warriors stand before you avenge our fallen leader, Lord Sosetsu Kazahana. On this day you will breath no more!” Sandayu swore, his voice loud and sure among the roars of his compatriots.

‘Hopefully this will end in our favor’ Makino silently thought.

He and his crew had hidden themselves atop the hill closest to the cave, laying flat against the snow with white blankets covering over them, giving them a measure of camouflage.

He knew staying in the area was extremely risky. Vivid memories of bloodshed and slaughter filling his mind, echoes of the years unspoken today.

But _this_ was real. _This_ was history. And _this_ is what the world needed to see.

Evidence and truth.

“I thought you destroyed the last of the insurgents?” Doto stated, mildly annoyed by the disruption.

“My apologies. I will dispose of them immediately” Nadare assured him from his kneeling position next to Doto.

“...No” Doto proclaimed, a wicked smile forming his face, “With men such as these, they deserve nothing more than to know what is complete despair”

“Forward to victory!” Sandayu shouted, leading the charge down the mountain.

The sight of the rebels pumping Naruto full of energy, but before he could join in on the assault the sides of the train, slid down, opening up to reveal countless individual compartments that made it look like a metal honeycomb.

Doto gave a smug smirk at the pathetic excuse for a rebellion in front of him before giving the signal, “Fire”.

Hearing the command, an army of Snow Ninja within the train began rapidly cranking the levers at their stations in perfect time with one another.

In a sudden burst, Naruto and Koyuki watched in absolute horror as rounds upon rounds of kunai were fired out of the compartments of the train at Sandayu and his men.

Annihilation.

There was nothing else that could describe such a massacre.

With nowhere to duck and hide the samurai were left defenseless as the kunai ran through them.

Blood rained through the air in sprays as the men dropped like stones into the tainted snow.

Fifty men. 

Dead in an instant.

Doto belly laughed at the slaughter. At the power over those vermin.

They may not have bowed to him before, but they were certainly bowing now.

Naruto's face twisted with a rage he hadn't felt since he thought Haku killed Sasuke.

Through sheer willpower Sandayu forced himself to remain standing, his legs barely catching him as he wobbled down the mountain, trying not to let Doto have the honor of seeing him topple.

"Fire again" Doto signaled dismissively.

Another round of kunai burst out of the train at Sandayu.

"NO!" Naruto screamed.

But before he could exhale a gust of wind at the kunai a familiar large fuma shuriken spun its way in front of Sandayu, the blades knocking away the kunai before embedding itself into the snow.

Despite the kunai missing their mark, Sandayu could no longer hold himself upright, falling back to the ground.

Quick as a flash Sasuke grabbed his shuriken and sped over behind a small boulder covered by snow atop the hill, tossing a kunai with a paper bomb at one of the open compartments of the train, hoping to damage them enough where they couldn't be used again.

Doto's expression schooled to one of unimpressed irritation at the sudden arrival of more pests.

Realizing that it'd be better to remove the train entirely, Sakura perched herself atop a cliff overlooking the train, tossing a bomb into the snow.

The explosion caused an avalanche to drown the train in snow, forcing the conductor to start the engine back up and release the breaks so that they could get away.  
But as the train made its way onto the bridge another explosion blew apart the supports.

Kakashi watched with bated breath, hoping the train would be dragged down the gorge by the snow.

Seeing that if they didn't cut themselves off from the back end of the train they'd likely fall to their deaths Doto yelled out a callous, "Disconnect the cars".

And the conductor did, leaving hundreds of his fellow Snow Ninja to perish as they plummeted down the mountain.

Seeing that Doto's car had survived the attack, Sasuke immediately started sprinting after it, only to be quickly cut off by Kakashi.

“Hold it Sasuke! Don’t be hasty” Kakashi chastised, stopping Sasuke before he could do anything reckless.

Seeing that the train was now gone Sakura fully processed the extent of the massacre for the first time.

So many people were injured.

So much blood.

Sucking in a shaky breath she clenched her fists and made her way down to the injured, praying that her current level of skill would be able to save _someone._

……But it wasn't enough.

The story was the same for every man she examined.  
She couldn't help any of them.

_Not one person._

Kakashi-sensei had to order her to stop treatment on Sandayu.

"Sakura…" Naruto muttered pityingly behind her.

Sakura just remained kneeling in the snow, frozen, her hands covered in Sandayu's blood as she lifted them away from the man's chest, cancelling her jutsu.

"It's alright…" Sandayu tried to assure her, giving her a weak smile, "It's my time"

Sakura's crimson hands fell limply into the snow, her eyes hazing over as she stared blankly into nothingness.

'Not one...Not one...Not one' her brain played, haunting her like a broken record.

"I want to see the Princess" Sandayu asked to no one in particular, "Please. As a man's final request"

Kakashi nodded.

The other crew members shifted Sandayu onto a wooden board to transport him closer to Yukie. Lifting him up and away from a traumatized and guilty Sakura.

Kakashi knew he needed to stay to help Sakura through her trauma. Memories of war, loss, and blood covered hands flashed through his mind.

_"Kakashi you…"_

Kakashi quickly cast the horrific memory aside.

A part of him wished Sakura hadn't started training as a medic.

While the slaughter was indeed horrifying, Sakura was taking it harder than she would have if she hadn't been a medical ninja-in-training.

She apprenticed under Lady Tsunade in order to save lives.

And for her not to be able to even save a single one...

Seeing the familiar echoes of horror, guilt and regret, the start of a deadening heart, Sasuke immediately knelt down and began wiping Sandayu's blood off of Sakura's hands.

His concern only grew when she didn't so much as blink.

"Naruto. Go with Sandayu. Sasuke and I will take care of Sakura" Kakashi gently ordered.

Naruto grit his teeth, every fiber of his being saying "No way!".

But if he was being honest with himself...He had no idea what he could say to help her right now.

_"No one can do everything alone. No matter how strong you get, never forget that" Grandpa Tobirama lectured him, "It's impossible to be an expert in every field. There will always be things that you can't do. If there is something with which you have no experience in, it is best left to someone else who knows what it is they are doing"_

He wanted to stay...But he didn't think it was him Sakura needed right now...Maybe later. But not now.

Jogging slightly, Naruto turned away and followed after the group, making it in time to hear the man's final words.

“My Princess, forgive me. I should never have gotten you involved in all of this-s. It’s...just that every one of us here was able to keep b-believing in spite of everything...because we knew you were alive-e. Even when you were little you never had any faith in yourself-f...But to us-s you have a-always been our p-purest hope...P-Please do not waste your...tears...on...me” Sandayu exhaled, every word strained and forced before his head and arm collapsed to the side, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, his prized tanto falling from his grasp and into the cold snow, his eyes dead to the world.

Yukie just looked upon her former attendant indifferently, her expression coldly neutral.

“I can’t cry Sandayu...You have my eye drops” Yukie muttered callously.

She had no more tears left to shed.

Having enough of all this foolishness, Yukie stood back up from her crouched position above Sandayu's corpse.

“Are you all satisfied now? This is what comes from never giving up” Yukie scoffed, “If they hadn’t stood up to Doto, then none of this bloodshed would have happened”

Naruto barely held back a growl of frustration, his shoulders trembling in fury.

"Let’s go. If you stay here then all your lives will be in jeopardy...Let’s just go home” Yukie dismissed, completely done with the entire farce.

“Go home to where?" Naruto demanded, making Yukie turn to address him, "I thought this was your home wasn’t it?! What the heck do you need to go back to? Your place is right here! Now face Doto and put your house in order!”

He didn't get it!

How could she just abandon all these people? Her country? And let some madman like Doto hold the reins?!

“You know absolutely _nothing_ " Yukie barbed, turning her back to the ignorant fool, "Spring doesn’t come to this country. Our tears have frozen over and our hearts hardened with the cold”

Hope didn't exist in a country with a frozen heart.

“But aren’t you the only one with the power to change that?” a soft but firm voice cut in.

Naruto wheeled around to see that Sakura was standing once again, her hand in Sasuke's, and Kakashi-sensei's hand held lightly on her back.

Her eyes were still overflowing with sadness and guilt, but they weren't dead anymore either.

Whatever the two of them had said to her definitely seemed to have helped.

“At least, that’s what Sandayu believed. Isn’t it?” Sakura reminded Yukie, gripping Sasuke's hand tighter for support.

Yukie didn't even bother turning around to address her.  
“I’ve had enough of this nonsense” Yukie callously dismissed, starting to make her way back to the trailers.

“Hey! Hold on a minute!” Naruto demanded, running over and grabbing Yukie's wrist.

“Leave me alone already!” Yukie shouted furiously, whipping her wrist around to make him let go.

"My entire Village treated me like shit!" Naruto blurted out angrily, causing Yukie to glare at him incredulously as to where he was going with that, "They treated me like shit. Used me as a scapegoat. Lied to me. Tried to _kill_ me. Dehumanize me into a weapon, a tool for them to use, and people are constantly trying to manipulate me for their own gain"

Yukie blinked in disbelief.

"But you don't see me running away! I work hard every day for them to acknowledge me! And little by little people are! And that's because I never gave up!" Naruto shouted irately, absolutely done with her attitude.

Yukie said nothing.

"I'm going to be Hokage someday! And I'm going to be the best leader I can be for my Village and protect them no matter what! Just because I've been hurt doesn't mean it's right to abandon them! And the same goes for you!" Naruto concluded, ending his harsh lecture.

Yukie just stood in front of him stunned.

Literally having no idea what to say after that declaration (and frankly neither did anyone else).

In the tense silence the sound of motors caught everyone's ears.

Suddenly a large balloon-looking vehicle lifted up over the mountainside.

From the structure below the balloon stood Mizore in front of what looked like an open doorway.

Before Naruto could react, Mizore's metal hand launched through the air, grabbing Yukie by the small of her back and yanking her through the air and onto the balloon-craft.

"Yukie!" Naruto shouted, but before he could do anything, Fubuki used her wings to zip around the front of the balloon and drop a bunch of kunai with small blue balls attached to them.

“Careful!” Sasuke warned, leaping away from the kunai.

Almost instantaneously, giant ice thorn barbs sprouted from the ground, nearly impaling them if they hadn't been so quick on their feet.

“Naruto hold it!” Kakashi ordered, grabbing Naruto's hand before he could toss his kunai and rope at the strange air machine.

“But Yukie!” Naruto countered, confused as to why his Sensei had stopped him.

"Being reckless isn't going to do anyone any good. For now we regroup" Kakashi told him sternly.

The endgame was approaching.

And they needed to be ready for it.

* * *

'So Doto managed to get the blimp up and running' Yukie thought, remembering the sketches of her Father's original designs.

Rather than kill her, interrogate her, or toss her into some cell they'd brought her to a lush room. One designed for comfort and the upper class.

Soft carpets, cushy seating, heating, the fully stocked bar.

And if she had to guess the small fridge in the corner of the bar had steaks and rare fish, cooked and spiced to perfection.

Her Uncle always did have expensive tastes.

“You’ve grown quite beautiful Koyuki” Doto complimented the eighteen year old.

“Tell me little Princess, do you have the hex crystal with you?” Doto inquired, not bothering to beat around the bush.

“Yes” Yukie answered, her voice tired and defeated.

She just wanted all this to be over.

“Good. It is the sole remaining link to the Kazahana clan. And the key to opening its treasure” Doto revealed, relieved that he would soon have what was his.

“The key? To what?” Yukie asked, confused.

“When I...rested this land from your Father’s hands the Kazahana clan’s resources were all but gone. I knew Sosetsu must’ve hidden his riches somewhere. I searched for a long time, and finally I found it. It is hidden deep within the rainbow glacier. There is a key hole there that can only be opened by the hex crystal. Once I’m in possession of the Kazahana fortune our country can obtain military superiority over the five great nations” Doto arrogantly boasted.

Yukie sincerely doubted that, but she wasn't about to tell her psychotic, delusional Uncle that either.

She didn't want the throne.

He knew that. She knew that.

She was no threat to his rule and wouldn't need to be disposed of unless she gave him a reason to do so.  
“Now that explanations are out of the way, I’ll take the hex crystal if you don’t mind?” Doto asked (read: demanded).

"Sure" Yukie mumbled defeated and done, unzipping her coat and lifting her one momento of her father up over her head and handing it to his murderer.

A maniacal grin stretched across Doto’s face as he took the necklace into his hands.

Though after inspecting the crystal a little his expression fell as he noticed the plastic feel and lack of mobile bubbles in the solution.

“What is this?” he furiously demanded, immediately reaching out and grabbing the front of Yukie’s coat.

“This isn’t a game! You think that I don’t know this is a fake!” Doto roared in outrage, losing his composure.

“No. That’s impossible” Yukie muttered in fear.

But just then she faintly recalled hearing Sanduya address Kakashi's presence in her room while she had been resting after the first attack.

“Kakashi Hatake” Yukie proclaimed I softed realization, completely stunned.

“What?” Doto demanded, gripping her coat even tighter.

“Makes sense. Kakashi’s a shrewd one. I wouldn’t put it past him to pull a bait and switch” Nadare commented, keeping the worry out of his tone for their failure (and Doto's reaction to it).

“Don’t even worry about it, we'll have him rounded up in no time” Fubuki confidently assured.

“That won’t be necessary” Doto exclaimed, releasing Yukie with a dismissive toss, much to the surprise of the Snow Trio.

“Why even bother? The man will show up on his own soon enough. Until then we just have to wait” Doto confidently proclaimed, his composure back on place as his mind formulated their next steps, crushing the fake crystal in his palm, imagining it to be the Leaf Village worms.

* * *

"She's out of my sensing range! How the hell are we supposed to find her?!" Naruto demanded with a frustrated growl.

"Calm down Naruto. Mistakes happen when you let your emotions get the better of you" Kakashi chastised.

Looking down at the snow Naruto gave him a reluctant nod, breathing in and out like Grandpa Tobirama taught him during mediation training in order to calm himself down.

"Besides, I think you're forgetting who it is exactly you are talking to" Kakashi pointedly told him, causing all three of his students' gazes to snap to him.

'It's time to stop running' Kakashi thought.

Bending to the ground he slammed his palm down into the snow, ink black seals snaking their way across the white, a poof of smoke and a loud pop echoed through the mountain.

Four large white wolves stood before them.

The largest wolf narrowed its eyes at Kakashi.

"Alpha" the wolf addressed, keeping his eyes on Kakashi while the other three wolves eyed Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto critically, "Desperate once again are we? From the scent I'd say we're back in the Land of Snow".

"Tadao" Kakashi stiffly greeted his beta (for the first time in ten years), "In a nutshell we're finishing the mission from ten years ago. But I need you to locate Princess Kazahana. Doto and his men took her to an undisclosed location and we need to get her back"

"Finally acknowledging our existence?" Tadao inquired, his tone questioning and curious.

"Mah. Life has a way of coming full circle" Kakashi replied coolly.

Tadao raised an eyebrow at that, "Indeed it does".

Shifting his gaze for the first time to appraise the pups who smelled like their Alpha. Like Pack.

 _That_ was interesting.

"We'll find your Princess" Tadao informed his Alpha, "However, I'd like to speak with you when this mission has been completed"

"I figured" Kakashi stated, resigned.

"Now scatter!" He ordered, his wolves immediately following his command and disappearing into the landscape without so much as a sound.

* * *

_“You’ll see when the spring comes, Koyuki” Sosetsu said wistfully._

_“Father, what is spring?” Koyuki asked, confused as to what he was talking about._

_“Oh that’s right. You’ve never felt spring, have you Koyuki?” Sosetsu hummed._

_Koyuki merely shook her head._

_“Close your eyes” Sosetsu told her, “Try to imagine yourself surrounded by flowers”_

_Koyuki did as he asked, a bright smile coming to her face as she imagined herself surrounded by the plants her Father kept all around the castle._

_“There now. Isn’t it beautiful? Now run through it as fast as you can” Sosetsu exclaimed, chuckling a bit as he watched his daughter spread out her arms as if she were an airplane soaring through the fields._

_“Well? It makes you feel all warm and happy doesn’t it?” he asked, feeling happy now himself._

_“Mhm” Koyuki mumbled, still dancing in the imaginary fields._

_“That is spring” Sosetsu told her, Koyuki opening her eyes in surprise._

_“And if you never give up. If you believe in the future, spring is sure to come”_

But this Land has no spring.

Her father died and she fled from the Land of Snow.

She had stopped believing.

Always running.

Always lying to people.

But mostly she was just lying to herself.

Her life has just been one big charade. 

Becoming an actress was about the only thing she had been cut out for in this world.

In the end all you can really do is give up.

_"My entire Village treated me like shit!"_

_“Told ya we’d make it”_

_"Tried to **kill** me"_

_“So what? He should just give up?! Quit being so heartless!”_

_"You don't see me running away!"_

_"I work hard every day for them to acknowledge me! And little by little people are! And that's because I never gave up!"_

_“Can’t you see this poor man has given his entire life to the realization of this dream?! You keep insulting him like that and you’ll be dealing with me lady!”_

_"I'm going to be Hokage someday! And I'm going to be the best leader I can be for my Village and protect them no matter what! Just because I've been hurt doesn't mean it's right to abandon them! And the same goes for you!"_

_“There is no such thing as a happy ending in this world!”_

_“Of course there is if you’re willing to fight for it!”_

_"Your place is right here! Now face Doto and put your house in order!”_

Yukie lifted the iron chains keeping her tied down to the stone floor of her icy cell. The lack of heating and comfort no doubt intentional. She was a prisoner after all.

_“There is no such thing as a happy ending in this world!”_

_“Of course there is if you’re willing to fight for it!”_

A surge of emotion she’d never quite felt before coursed through Yukie’s body. Her hand clenching the iron chain.

* * *

BOOM.

BOOM BOOM.

Yukie jerked awake at the harsh tremors that rocked the steel fortress.

‘They’re actually here’ Yukie thought in amazement, no doubt in her mind who the culprits were behind Doto’s scattering forces rushing by her cell.

Now was her chance.

Hearing the quick pattering of footsteps Yukie collapsed onto the cold stone floor, feigning unconsciousness and halting her breathing the moment the steps were close enough.

Just as she planned, Yukie heard one of the Snow ninja skid to a halt.

“Hey, is she okay?!” the Snow ninja demanded, sounding panicked.

“Ah damn. Doto’ll have our heads if he finds out she froze to death down here” the other Snow ninja exclaimed, immediately moving over to rip off the sealing tag, locking Yukie in her cell, and unlocking it with the key.

Just as Yukie braced herself to knock out whichever ninja came closest to her a thud and gunt sounded, a body falling to the ground beside her.

“You can open your eyes now Princess” a smug familiar voice reassured her.

Yukie immediately snapped open her eyes to see the remaining Snow ninja poof away in a puff of smoke, leaving only Naruto behind.

“Miss me?” Naruto cockily exclaimed, twirling the cell keys on his pointer finger.

Yukie couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“Come on, we gotta meet up with Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and Sakura” Naruto near ordered her, his face growing serious again as he began to sense the presence of some of the enemy getting closer.

So far everything was going according to plan.

Kakashi-sensei’s wolves had located Yukie, and after scouting the area, and using Sasuke’s snake summon to search the inside for Yukie, they’d formulated their counterattack.

Kakashi-sensei had him create a bunch of timed explosive tags to serve as distraction, and Sakura was the one to place them around the fortress, planting them in spots that would both draw the ninja away from where they needed to be, and slowly damage the interior of the fortress so that it would collapse after twenty minutes.

Taking Yukie’s hand, Naruto led her to the elevator, standing at the ready as they were lifted to the upper floors.

The moment they reached the top a wire shot up from below, pulling a Snow ninja along with it.

Yukie immediately braced herself for an attack.

“Relax” Naruto grinned, trying to ease Yukie’s tension, “It’s just Kakashi-sensei”

In response, the Snow ninja tore off his garb, revealing, as Naruto had stated, a fully outfitted and battle-ready Kakashi behind.

“Goodwork Naruto” Kakashi praised before turning his attention to their client, “You look alright Princess”

“You switched my Hex Crystal for a fake without telling me didn’t you?” Yukie accused, narrowing her eyes defensively at the jonin.

“Yeah. I apologize for that” Kakashi admitted, walking over to Yukie, taking the real Hax Crystal out of his pocket, “But I figured that this was what he was after”

“...All for this thing huh?” Yukie muttered as she gazed sadly upon the necklace in her palm, wondering how such an insignificant piece of jewelry could be worth all this bloodshed.

Suddenly two Snow ninja were kicked past the entryway.

“This place is crawling with guards” Sakura exclaimed as she and Sasuke made their way over to the group.

“This way” Yukie confidently exclaimed, running in the direction of the opposite exit without waiting for the others to follow...or question her.

Trusting in their charge, Team 7 followed Yukie through the labyrinth of overpasses and hallways, steadying themselves every time one of Naruto’s explosive seal traps went off.

Soon Yukie led the group into a wide open space before halting in the center of what used to be her family’s clan crest.

In dramatic fashion a spotlight switched on, revealing her Uncle sitting on his throne in all his arrogant glory, the man’s haughty laughter filling the air.

“Doto” Kakashi exclaimed, his muscles coiling in anticipation of a fight.

‘Naruto and I didn’t sense a thing. There must be chakra blockers here’ Kakashi determined, realizing what just happened.

“Well done Koyuki” Doto praised, his words mocking and sharp.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura just turned to Yukie in shock, their expressions portraying nothing less than hurt betrayal.

With dead eyes Yukie sprinted her way up the marble stairs to her Uncle’s throne.

“Wait!” Kakashi demanded, but before he could grab Yukie his path was blocked by Nadara, Fubuki, and Mizore.

“It can’t be” Naruto muttered in disbelief, trying to reconcile what he was seeing with how things were supposed to go.

“This shouldn’t be a surprise to any of you” Yukie proclaimed, her tone a mockery of laughter after placing the Hex Crystal in Doto’s expectant palm, “I mean really, I’m an actress aren’t I?”

“And there you have it. Another magnificent performance by the amazing Yukie Fujikaze” Doto arrogantly mocked as he clutched the necklace victoriously.

Yukie looked upon Team 7 one last time, a sadness coming over her eyes as she gazed upon their furious betrayed expressions.

Her mind was already made up.

“Sorry. But I always knew that if I ever returned to this country that I was going to die here” Yukie huffed, a cold sneer on her face.

“Better to be a live sheep, than die a fighting lion” Doto chuckled, pleased that his plan had worked so well.

“This isn’t over yet! You can’t just stop fighting!” Naruto roared, his fists clenched.

“I should be thanking you Naruto. It’s only thanks to you that I decided to just stop running away from all this. To end this whole charade once and for all” Yukie mockingly exclaimed, a sharp smirk on her face.

“No! All you are doing is running away! Don’t throw away your Father and Sandayu’s sacrifices like this!” Naruto furiously accused.

“I thought shinobi were supposed to see underneath?” Doto mocked, “You wanted so badly to see the good in Koyuki, to try and change her, that you ignored her pattern of behavior. Her life has been nothing but a role to act out. And you all fell for her show”

Each of Team 7 growled in frustration, with Sasuke and Kakashi preparing themselves to strike out against the trio of Snow ninja with the hopes that either Naruto or Sakura could get to Yukie and Doto (though they both assumed it’d be Naruto).

One heart beats. Two.

“That’s right” Yukie breathed, her tone soft in acceptance of her fate, “It was all an act”

Without hesitation Yukie unsheathed Sandayu’s short blade, whipping around without preamble and using every ounce of her strength and momentum to stab her Uncle right in his blackened heart.

The suddenness of her actions startling Team 7.

“I told you didn’t I? I’m an actress” Yukie grunted, hearing an unusual clang of metal and the jolt of her blade being deflected.

No.

No it couldn’t be!

“You wretched” Doto exclaimed, his expression twisting into ugly rage at his niece’s betrayal.

Doto immediately wrapped his muscular hand around Yukie’s throat and squeezed, quickly and effectively cutting off her air supply.

“Princess!”

Just as Team 7 moved to leap into action the Snow Trio smashed ice bombs at their feet, forcing them to jump back and further away from the staircase leading up to the throne.

“I’m sorry Father...Sandayu…” Yukie mumbled, her spotting vision going dark as she went limp in her Uncle’s grip, only to be dropped like a sack of potatoes.

“Koyuki!” Naruto shouted, his concern sky-rocketing, only barely keeping himself from just barreling forward to check her condition.

“You really thought you could kill me with this little toy?” Doto huffed out in amusement now that his initial anger had settled, shrugging off his casual robes to reveal sleek black armour underneath.

“No way” Naruto muttered, as stunned as the rest of his Team.

“That’s right. It’s chakra armor. Our latest prototype” Doto smugly announced, proudly displaying the results of his work to the inferior ninja.

‘If he’s wearing that armour then that means he can use chakra’ Kakashi thought warily.

This was an entirely new variable and he didn’t like it one bit.

Much to Team 7’s relief Yukie regained consciousness and was in a fit of coughs until her body got the air it needed again.

Eyeing his niece consideringly Doto reached down to lift her up underneath his arm as if she weighed nothing.

“Don’t you touch her with those filthy hands of yours!” Naruto ordered, his voice trembling with a rage so deep his vision almost went red.

“I do not waste my time with insignificance” Doto dismissed, “Come, let us go Koyuki. Beyond the rainbow”

Yukie’s eyes widened in horror as wings snapped out from the back of the armour, lifting them up and off the ground just as an explosion took out the ceiling of the throne room.

“Scatter!” Kakashi ordered, keeping an eye on the Snow trio as he dodged rocks and debris.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight again!” Naruto determinedly exclaimed, launching a rope with a kunai out at Yukie.

Realizing his plan, Yukie reached out her arm and allowed the rope to wrap and twirl around it, relieved that Naruto would still be with her.

As Doto soared into the night sky he couldn’t help but notice a drag, an unexpected weight.

Peering down he couldn’t help but scoff at the pitiful sight of the foolish blonde Leaf ninja literally dangling at the edge of his rope.

Veering into a downward arch, Doto used the kunai end to excise the infection holding him back, delighting in Koyuki’s screams as she watched the boy plummet to his death.

* * *

“This isn’t over!” Naruto shouted into the sky, immediately sprinting after Doto’s disappearing form after he had broken his fall with his wind style: breakthrough, “I’m not giving up! No matter what!”

There was no way he would ever let that psychotic nutjob ever win! 

He didn’t care how many times he was beaten into the ground, he’d just get right back up! 

That arrogant bastard won’t know what hit him!

Suddenly the sound of motors caught his ears.

Naruto’s run slowed, the crunching of snow coming to a halt as he gazed upon Makino and Uchi in shock.

‘They’re supposed to be back on the ship’ Naruto thought in disbelief, ‘What on Earth are they doing here?’

Makino just gave the boy a knowing smirk, “Hop on!”

Not looking a gifted horse in the mouth, Naruto parked his butt on the boards right by the Director.

“What’re you waiting for, an invitation? We’ve got a Country to save!” Makino ordered, eyeing Uchi expectantly.

“Right! Sorry!” the other man exclaimed, starting up the motorized camera holder turned sled again.

“Northwest” Naruto directed, pointing to a mountainscape, “That’s where Doto took Yukie”

“On it!” Uchi exclaimed, his expression now serious and determined.

No one said a word as they passed through the trees and snow, the only sound that of the whirring engine.  
Naruto looked up appraisingly at the Director.

This was about more than just getting the perfect shot.  
No one, no matter how dedicated to their craft, would ever risk their neck like this if it was merely about fame and artistry.

“You know you can just ask” Makino stated amused, smirking at the startled look on Naruto’s face at having been caught gawking (as if he’d been subtle).

“Why do all of this? You knew we were walking into a warzone, and instead of leaving after what happened to Sandayu you’re still here” Naruto inquired curiously.  
Makino looked out into the blank expanse of the snow behind them.

Everything was so white...So pure...So untouched.

“Because I remember the days when the grounds used to be soaked with blood and littered with corpses” Makino stated, his tone grim as the nostalgia blackened his mood as dark as the night sky.

Uchi’s control jolted, the sled swerving for the briefest of moments in his shock before he regained control.

Naruto’s eyes widened in disbelief, not having expected such words from the cheerful Director.

“People forget that while I’m a famous director now, I wasn’t always...I’m eighty-five years old...And I remember when peace had only been a pipe dream” Makino continued, his mind a million miles away as he remembered the dreaded clang of metal.

The stench of death. Of smoke and char. Living day by day in squalor and uncertainty.

“The Warring States Era is one people think is best to be forgotten. But it is when we forget our roots, when we forget our past, that history repeats itself in a never ending loop” Makino begrudged.

He remembered as a boy hearing how other towns were destroyed, razed to the ground, and civilians, innocent children, killed just because they got in the way of the warring clans.

He remembered waiting in dread every day for the moment that clang of metal would come just too close.

As a shinobi death was almost certain.

For a civilian, you were either a paycheck, or just plain collateral.

Walking the merchant roads was a dangerous endeavor, especially when rival merchant guilds would hire shinobi to hurt your profits.

The rivers were either claimed by a clan or crawling with ninjas seeking relief.

Farmland tended to be salted and burned, or more often than not served as an impromptu battleground. 

The only ones who had a chance at making any kind of a profit were the “civilian dogs”, the civilians that allied themselves with a shinobi clan. A mutually beneficial relationship born of desperation. 

The civilians would give some of their profits to the shinobi clan, and in turn the clan would act as their guards, allowing the civilians the chance to survive, even if they silently cursed the shinobi’s existence beneath their breaths.

The creation of the Shinobi Villages wasn’t just a haven for ninja, it allowed the non-shinobi the chance to truly prosper too.

“I became a Director because I wanted to give people a way to reconnect with their dreams. To inspire courage, unity, and hope. To remind my audience that you can do anything if you believe hard enough” Makino exclaimed, looking down upon Naruto with a fire blazing in his eyes.

Makino remembered a time long ago of another man who never gave up.

Who never stopped believing in his dream for peace.

And Naruto’s fire reminded him much of Hashirama’s.

“If you want change you have to be willing to fight for it!” Makino declared, his tone assured and determined.

Naruto gave the Director an enthusiastic smile, leaping to his feet as his body was overflowing with determination born of the old man’s speech.

“Then it's a good thing I never give up, no matter the odds!”

* * *

Collapsing hopelessly onto her knees Yukie stared at the glaciers surrounding them.

Once she had loved these cliffs. Loved roaming the landscape as her Father worked on whatever contraption he’d been focused on creating at the heart of the landscape.

Now she only felt a swarming sense of dread building in her stomach.

“So we ended up here anyway” Yukie muttered despondently, watching helplessly as her Uncle made his way over to the console her Father had created.

Doto grinned victoriously as he took the necklace and placed it within the keyhole, his excitement growing as the area lit up in hues of purple and icy blue and spread out towards the glaciers in the pattern of a snowflake.

‘How very like my brother to be so...artsy’ Doto thought gleefully, awaiting for the fortunes that were now rightfully his.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura raced through the forest, following Doto and Yukie the best they could while dodging the ice bombs Fubuki was dropping around them from above, using the trees as cover.

It was time for them to end this.

“Sakura, how close are they?” Sasuke asked, hoping his teammate had finished her calculations.

“Hold on a sec” Sakura replied, gasping slightly as she just tumbled out of the way of Fubuki’s aerial swipe, almost caught off guard.

Righting herself in the snow, Sakura carefully observed Fubuki’s movements as she flew through the trees, calculating her speed, movements, and flight patterns.

“I got it. Twenty degrees left and five seconds. Thirty meter out. You wanna aim for that branch” Sakura exclaimed, directing Sasuke where to lay the trap.

“Right” Sasuke exclaimed, following Sakura’s instructions to the step as he aimed his kunai at the required branch, snapping the wiring in place like a net.

Taking advantage of the momentary reprieve from the enemy's attacks and where she had already been kneeling in the snow, Sakura attached her kunai and breakaway bags to her cloak for easy access.

“Give it up it’s useless” Mizore mockingly exclaimed, speeding through the snow right in Sakura’s direction when he saw that she was still kneeling on the ground.

Taking a deep breath in to steel her nerves, Sakura raised herself up off the ground, a determined expression on her face as she snapped open her cloak to reveal her collection of weapons.

Wasting no more time in enacting her strategy, Sakura began tossing handfuls of kunai at Mizore.

“Come on, don’t make me laugh!” Mizore mocked as the kunai bounced ineffectively against his chakra barrier.

Sakura ignored him in favor of tossing the last of her kunai and bags.

It was now or never.

Actually taking a moment to observe every aspect of the girl’s pathetic attacks, Mizore noticed that when the kunai struck his barrier the bags broke open like balloons and released something like confetti all around him.

At the last of her attacks Mizore paused, hopping off his board in order to figure out just what the little papers floating around him like snowflakes and flower petals were.

Letting one of the pieces drift onto his arm he realized that they weren’t papers or an odd smoke bomb meant to cloud his vision.

_They were mini-paper bombs._

_Hundreds of them._

And he was smack dab in the center of it all.

“Sakura Blizzard jutsu. Enjoy!” Sakura exclaimed, a smug smirk on her face as she tossed the final full-sized paper bomb at Mizore’s feet, the explosion igniting the rest of the mini-paper bombs, the chain reaction causing a massive mushroom cloud of fire, smoke, and debris.

Getting caught up in the unexpected after-blast of wind from the explosion, Fubuki was blown backwards...Right into the wire trap Sasuke had set up earlier on.

The very same trap Fubuki had scoffed at.

After all, who sets up a trap right in front of the enemy?

‘That girl...She somehow hypothesized where I’d be at the time of the blast...She’s no normal brat’ Fubuki sneered, flipping around to land on a branch rather than fall to the ground, annoyed that her wings had been snapped off by the wires, annoyed that they had fallen for such a trick.

Using her strength (and anger) Fubuki muscled her way free of the wires restricting her movements with laughable ease and jumped back into the air.

‘No matter’ she thought, mentally shaking herself free of her concerns, ‘Smart or not they were still just brats...Two brats up against experiences shinobi in chakra armour’

“You’re dealing with the ninja of the snow here. It’ll take more than this to bring us down” Fubuki confidently proclaimed.

“You’re probably right” Sasuke agreed, using the Dancing Leaf Shadow to come up behind Fubuki without her noticing.

Fubuki gasped, but before she could turn to attack Sasuke had already grabbed her by the back of her armour, yanking her down toward the ground.

“Lion’s Barrage!” Sasuke roared, quickly kicking, elbowing, and kneeing Fubuki’s stomach in rapid succession, using his last blow to lift him up above her and give Fubuki a final axe kick to her abdomen, the force causing her to plummet to the ground, unable to right herself as she reeled from the heavy blows.

Meanwhile Mizore stumbled his way out of the smoking remains of the explosion, his armour heavily damaged and even the cloth portions were in tatters.

‘So I was right’ Sakura thought in smug relief, ‘Their armour can deflect anything chakra based and objects with a solid form like kunai. But it can’t fully deflect non-solids or liquids that aren’t chakra based, which is why Fubuki was so desperate to get away from Sasuke’s paper bomb. While activating paper bombs require chakra, the explosion itself isn’t made of chakra. Which means their chakra barrier can shield them from some of the blast, but it can’t deflect all of it’

Mizore growled in frustration, ‘How dare that Pink Bitch!’

But before he could even shake the spots out of his eyes he noticed a shadow in front of him from above getting bigger.

Looking up, expecting some kind of attack, he was surprised to see that it was Fubuki.

Realizing too late that she wasn’t slowing down he could only watch in horror as his teammate plummeted right into him, the resulting clash sparking painfully around them, their screams deafening in the silence of the forest, and lighting up the darkness in hues of purple before exploding the area around them, kicking up snow and pine needles.

“What just happened?” Sasuke inquired as he landed beside Sakura, dumbfounded by the turn of events.

“Gosh I'm not really sure...Wait, you don’t think that their suits…” Sakura mumbled, her mind working on overdrive as she analyzed what they did know of the technology.

“Of course” Sakura exclaimed, her eyes widening in realization, “The armour repels chakra through the barrier around them. But the barrier itself is made of chakra. So when the two barriers came into contact with one another they overloaded and the armour blew itself up”

“Now that’s a flaw” Sasuke muttered, understanding now why the Snow Trio always seemed to give each other a wide berth when in the same vicinity.

‘And hopefully one we can use to our advantage’ Sasuke thought, a plan formulating in his mind.

* * *

The icy wind kicked up the snow between them.

After Doto’s Fortress had collapsed into a mountain of rubble, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura had split up to deal with Doto’s head snow ninja.

Kakashi had chased after Nadare to one of the huge snow covered outcroppings halfway down the mountain the fortress had been situated on.

It didn’t surprise Kakashi in the least that Nadare had chosen their final battlefield as one that would be beneficial to him.

‘This was it’ Kakashi thought, his eyes narrowing sharply at his old foe.

The culmination of ten years of running away.

Though if Kakashi was being honest with himself it had started long before then.

“You really think that you’ve got a shot? Maybe you ought to turn tail and run like last time” Nadare mocked, hoping to get a rise out of the jonin and throw him off his game by psyching him out.

“I don’t have a choice do I? At least now I can give you the honor of showing you one of my original techniques” Kakashi proclaimed, his voice icier than the terrain as he weaved through the hand signs that had become second nature to him.

A vicious grin crossed Nadare’s face as he weaved signs of his own, “I have a surprise of my own just for you. A jutsu inspired by yourself. A fitting way to die don’t you think?”

Kakashi ignored him, praying that his theory would work, “Lightning blade!”.

Undeterred by the loud chirping of what sounded like a thousand birds and visible chakra in the Leaf jonin’s hand that seemed to radiate lightning, Nadare continued with his own counter technique.

“Ice style: Wolf Fang Avalanche” Nadare proclaimed, his eyes widening in sadistic anticipation.

Suddenly a rubble sounded above them, Nadare’s chakra moulding through the snow, causing it to decompact and run down towards them.

Right before his eyes Kakashi watched as the avalanche of snow formed into a huge pack of white wolves.

Growling at the slight against him Kakashi charged forward, effortlessly dodging each of the two-story tall wolves trying to rip him limb from limb, his rage centered and focused on his target.

Nadare.

“It’s not possible…” Nadare muttered in utter disbelief, a tremble of fear making its way up his spine for the first time.

At his command Nadare manipulated the final wolf so that it was all that remained between himself and Kakashi’s jutsu.

The wolf leaped at Kakashi, jaws open wide to snap him in half.

Without hesitation Kakashi lunged forward with his right arm, his lightning blade effortlessly cutting through the jutsu as if it were butter and pushed onward, ramming headfirst into an unprepared Nadare’s chakra barrier.

Nadare’s chakra barrier screeched at the impact, the purple light flickering and flaring under the sharp force and sheer power of Kakashi’s chakra blade.

Not being able to take any more the armour gave, the chakra barrier exploding, forcing both combatants back.

Stumbling through the smoke and snow Nadare didn’t notice as the main hub to his armour cracked and exploded.

“Almost had me there” Nadare exclaimed, regaining his composure after having actually thought for a moment Kakashi’s jutsu had done the impossible and won out against his armour.

“I wouldn’t be so sure” Kakashi mocked, adrenaline now coursing through his veins.

Now _he_ was the one with the upper hand here.

Nadare’s eyes narrowed, trying to brush Kakshi’s comment off as the ninja’s attempt to unnerve him...But he couldn’t help the chills going up his spine that had nothing to do with the dropping temperatures around him.

Suddenly the ground began to rumble once more, though this time far louder.

Both ninja looked up to see that the explosion had kick-started a real avalanche.

Leaping away from the torrent of snow barreling down at them, Nadare tried to use his white suit to his advantage and blend in with the falling snow, however he was suddenly flipped upside down mid-air by a pair of steel-like arms.

“What?!” Nadare demanded, terrified how Kakashi had gotten past his guard and through the chakra barrier.

“Even without ninjutsu and genjutsu a ninja always has taijutsu. You rely too much on this armour” Kakashi lectured harshly, peregrine falcon dropping both of them to the ground, his grip unrelenting as he drove Nadare’s skull into the unforgiving frozen stone of the mountain.

It was over.

Nadare was no longer a threat.

In a way it was kind of surreal.

The man that had killed his comrades...The man who had caused yet another haunting regret...A reminder of yet another one of his failures...Who’d seemed larger than life...Was now dead.

It was...odd.

Like a child who had always been terrified by the monster under his bed realizing that the so-called monster had just been a coat the whole time.

In a way he supposed it made sense.

Back then it had only been a few years since he’d lost Obito, Rin, Kushina, and Minato-sensei back to back and had thrown himself into the dark trudges of the ANBU.

Facing his traumas had never been a strong point of his...So he supposed his mind made out the unexpected adversity of the Land of Snow’s chakra armour to be a boogeyman of sorts in the face of the loss of his team and the overall failure of the mission.

The relief. The strength in himself.

It was an odd feeling...But a step in the right direction he supposed.

Standing from his knelt position Kakashi raised a hand to his comm.

Now to make sure that it stayed that way.

It was time to tell his adorable little genin just what he’d discovered.

* * *

Doto’s smug smile dropped long ago, an additional wrinkle of anger marring his features for every minute that passed he didn’t see shining gold and glittering jewels popping out of the snow like daisies.

Instead there was nothing but a low hum as temperatures oddly felt as if they were rising.

“This was it, I was sure of it! The site of my brother’s treasure” Doto muttered angrily, mentally going over every letter, every schematic and log his brother had written prior to his death.

Suddenly steam burst up from the ground at the drastic differences between the clashing war of heat and cold.

The sound of rushing water met Yukie’s ears, and she watched as what had seemed like the perpetual blank of snow covering the Land slowly thinned as it began to slowly melt away.

“It’s so warm...What is this?” Yukie muttered, confused by the turn of events.

_“What is it with your little obsession with the spring Sosetsu?” Doto inquired curiously, spinning the wine in his glass as he gazed at his brother bent over yet another one of his schematics._

_“You’ll see brother. When the spring comes” Sosetsu replied cryptically, his focus still on his work._

_“You are a lot of things brother” Doto commented, “Mother Nature not being one of them”_

_“We shall see” Sosetsu teased, looking back at his younger brother with a determined glint in his eyes._

“It can’t be…” Doto exclaimed in growing horror.

_“We shall see”_

“The secret treasure of the Kazahana clan is a heat generator?!” Doto roared in astounded disbelief.

‘No’ Doto thought, clenching his hands into fists as his fury began to bubble over, ready to erupt, ‘Even in death you pulled a fast one on me Sosetsu. Mocking me with your ridiculous gadgets and pathetic dreams!’

“Koyuki!” a familiar annoying voice exclaimed.

Doto turned to face the persistent little gnat making his way closer by way of those foolish filmographers.

“Naruto!” Yukie called out, both relieved that he was in fact okay after that horrible fall, and worried what would happen if he continued to face down her Uncle, especially now.

Leaping off the impromptu motorized sled Naruto sent chakra to his feet to maintain his balance on the ice and snow, and to increase his speed as he raced forward at Doto.

‘The perfect target to vent my frustrations’ Doto thought viciously, as he weaved through several hand signs.

“Ice style: Black Dragon Blizzard” Doto roared, calling the remaining snow around him into his fist with his chakra, rearing his fist forward, an ink black snow dragon with blood red eyes was launched at high speeds, barreling right for Naruto.

‘Shit!’ Naruto thought, barely pushing off the ice with his chakra in time for the dragon to wiz by him, the sting of the cold from just the wind of the black ice felt like a burn against his face as it smashed into the frozen ground below him, breaking open a large chunk of the ice to reveal that there was in fact a lake beneath their feet.

“That all you got?!” Naruto mocked, satisfied when Doto let out a frustrated growl.

“Shadow Clone jutsu!” Naruto announced, narrowing his eyes at Doto as he summoned two dozen clones that immediately rushed out to barrage the man with a flurry of taijutsu.

“You little peasant!” Doto snapped, “You think your insignificant little ninjutsu will do anything against me?!”

Once the clones were close enough Doto raised his already clenched fist, activating the suit’s mechanisms and propelling his punch below him and into the ground, causing ice to fly up around him like a barrier, smashing six of the clones into the lake.

Eyeing Doto carefully from a distance, Naruto sent in the second wave of six, exploding the clones around Doto in a ring of snow of fire.

Yukie gasped, clenching at her coat at the sight of the flames, biting hard at her lip in order to stay in the present, silently hoping that Naruto managed to land a bit on Doto this time.

“A waste of effort” Doto’s mocking laugh echoed from the dispersing smoke, surrounded by his suit’s purple chakra shield.

Naruto just smirked, ‘Wave three’.

Suddenly, five clones came up underneath Doto, kicking him hard into the air with a triumphant, “Na-ru-to”.

Grunting in pain, Doto righted himself in the air, but before he could regain his barings and weave any hand signs, a shadow fell over him.

“Uzumaki Barrage!” the sixth clone proclaimed, landing a hard heel drop onto Doto’s royal face, sending the man plummeting into the hard unforgiving ground below.

“He really did it…” Yukie muttered in disbelief, joy slowly building in her veins.

“Not yet” Naruto informed her, uncharacteristically serious, as he braced himself once again.

True to Naruto’s prediction Doto stood back up in dramatic (pissed off) diva fashion, kicking up the remaining snow and even some of the softening dirt and grass around him and he lifted himself up and out of the small crater.

“Ice style: Black Rain!” Doto roared out in fury, his twisted expression making his already bruised and bloodied face even more of a gruesome sight.

Naruto watched as the few snowflakes that were left drifting through the air hardened into sharp black needles.

‘Shit!’ Naruto thought, his eyes widening in dread.

“Now die!” Doto exclaimed, fed up with the damn brat.

Thinking quickly, Naruto clapped his hands together, calling upon his wind and yang chakra together, focusing on letting the energy swirl around him as it had that day his Clone had been training with Grandpa Tobirama.

“Naruto!” Yukie screamed in terror, watching helplessly as the ice needles rained down upon the young ninja, leaving him no time to dodge or take cover.

Uchi clapped his hands over his eyes, unable to watch the child die.

In contrast Makino’s gaze held firm. He would watch every second of this fight to the bitter end.

Doto’s breathing came out in huffs as he slowly began to calm the longer the silence ensued.

‘Finally’ Doto thought, in psychotic relief and glee.

The gnat was finally squished.

Of course at that mental proclamation six forms of familiar black and orange surrounded him, having cancelled their disguise as stones.

“What?!” Doto demanded, not believing his own eyes.  
Though instead of attacking like he had expected, the clones popped instead, flooding the area with a giant smokescreen that blocked his visibility.

Before Doto could extricate himself from the smoke, a paper bomb dropped down in front of him, the force of the explosion knocking him backwards, tearing at the material of his suit as the chakra barrier failed to completely repel the blast.

His ears still ringing from the explosion, Doto saw rather than heard the lightning from Sasuke’s Chidori as he landed right at Doto's feet, the boy’s hand pressed up against the already stressed barrier as he brought his hand containing the electrified chakra forward, ramming against the chakra barrier.

True to Kakashi’s deductions, the Chidori’s level of concentrated chakra and sharpness allowed it to cut through the chakra armour’s barrier and overload the suit.

‘It’s working!’ Sakura thought in relief, seeing the stalemate between Sasuke’s jutsu and the chakra barrier.

Gritting his teeth at the continual pressure he needed to exert, Sasuke's efforts were rewarded with a satisfying crack as he watched the main hub of Doto’s armour shattered in two.

But before he could completely break through Doto’s defenses the older man launched a chakra propelled punched into his stomach, sending him soaring through the air and smashing into the cliffside.

Sasuke wheezed as he felt blood trickling out of his mouth. No doubt one of his several broken ribs had knicked his lungs.

‘Finish him off Naruto!’ Sasuke thought, darkness greeting him as he fell to the ground below, mildly annoyed that he wouldn’t be conscious to see their plan come to fruition.

_“So my Chidori can break his armour” Sasuke exclaimed as he and Sakura sped forward through the snow to meet up with Naruto._

_“Break it yes, but that’s all the attack alone will accomplish. Someone else will have to deal the finishing blow, and we don’t know how much stronger Doto’s upgraded armour is compared to Nadare’s” Kakashi’s voice echoed over the comms._

_“What if I blow a paper bomb at the closest possible point in front of the main hub first? Do you think that might help in causing the device strain?” Sakura inquired, mulling over their options._

_“I would say only if Sasuke attacks immediately after the explosion” Kakashi hypothesized._

_“If concentrated chakra can overload the armour then the Rasengan will be just what the doctor ordered!” Naruto proclaimed, sensing that he was closing in on Doto’s location._

_‘Rasengan?’ Sasuke and Sakura both wondered, curious what kind of jutsu it was Naruto was talking about._

_“Don’t charge head first Naruto. You have to wait for Sasuke and Sakura” Kakashi lightly chastised the blonde over the comm._

_“Distraction it is” Naruto proclaimed, a particularly mischievous grin making its way onto his face._

“Did you really think that your pitiful little jutsu would have an effect on me?” Doto mocked, satisfied at hearing the crunch of the boy’s bones against his fist.

“I told you already!” an impossibly familiar voice shouted.

‘It can’t be’ Doto thought furiously, having already written off the last clone attack as a fluke.

“It isn’t over until justice prevails and evil is wiped out! After all, every good story’s gotta have a happy ending!” Naruto proclaimed, a final clone beside him assisting him mold the Rasengan to form.

Relief washed over Yukie at the sight of her friend alive.

“You can do it! I believe in all of you!” Yukie called out, assured in each and every word for the first time in ten years.

“About time” Naruto grinned, proud of just how much the Princess had changed.

With a burst of renewed energy he and his clone rushed forward for their last assault against Doto.

Likewise Doto weaved through the hand signs for a final Black Dragon jutsu, this time preparing himself to launch the attack up close, ready to end this fight once and for all.

With each step closer to his target, Naruto felt the sun peek out from the clouds, the rays washing over the prepices, causing the ice to glitter like diamonds.

Suddenly Naruto felt a swirl of energy mixing itself within the chaka he and his clone held between their hands.

“It’s rainbow chakra...Just like in the movie...” Sakura muttered in astonishment as her Healing jutsu stabilized Sasuke’s lungs.

“...”

‘What…?’ Yukie thought stunned, unsure if she was actually seeing what she was seeing.

‘Well looks like I was wrong after all’ Kakashi thought, halting in his sprint, content to watch the spectacle and let Naruto finish off Doto himself.

Makino just grinned. Proud and honored.

_“I became a Director because I wanted to give people a way to reconnect with their dreams. To inspire courage, unity, and hope. To remind my audience that you can do anything if you believe hard enough”_

He certainly made the right choice in betting on the protagonist he did.

“Die!” Doto roared, launching his attack at the brat on the left.

The clone vanished in a puff of smoke, Doto’s eyes widening in denial.

He’d chosen wrong.

“Rasengan!” Naruto viciously declared, smashing his jutsu unrepentantly into Doto’s chest plate.

With a horrified scream Doto was launched through the air in an unforgiving vortex, propelling him straight into one of the glaciers, his face frozen in pain as he was knocked into unconsciousness.

But then the most amazing thing happened as Doto dropped like a stone.

An enormous blast of heat blew across the land from the modified glaciers, melting every ounce of ice and snow as if by magic.

Greenery dominated their surroundings. Small flowers taking the place of icicles and some of the lushest green grass Yukie had ever seen replaced the snow.

Uchi’s mouth dropped to the ground in shock, not believing his eyes.

“Could this be…?” Makino muttered, jaw hanging open in amazement, “We’re making this movie 3D?!”

Uchi couldn’t help but sweatdrop at the Director's antics, ‘I think he’s missing the big picture here’.

Suddenly, as if a projector had been turned on, an image of a young Koyuki appeared in the center of the glaciers.

_“Believe in the future. If you do, the spring will surely come”_

‘That’s my father’s voice’ Yukie recognized.

_“What will you do when it finally comes Koyuki?”_

_“I’m going to become a princess” young Koyuki happily proclaimed._

_“Oh? What sort of princess?”_

_“Let’s see. One that is strong, and is kind, and most of all, one that fights for justice” young Koyuki exclaimed with a flourish._

_“That’s some dream”_

“Did I...did I actually say those things?” Yukie muttered, not even recognizing the cheerful little girl displayed in front of her.

_“Well, so long as you believe in your dream and never give up, one day you’ll be that princess” Sosetsu assured her, making his way into the projection for the first time, standing behind his daughter and tying the hex crystal around her neck._

_“You can see her can’t you? There’s a beautiful princess standing right there in front of you” Sosetsu exclaimed, giving young Koyuki’s shoulders a confident squeeze._

Yukie jolted at the cool slide of water dripping down her face.

Tears.

Crying.

She was crying.

For the first time in ten years.

_“But I have sort of a problem. There’s something else I want to be” young Koyuki mumbled, sounding conflicted._

_“Really? What’s that?” Sosetsu asked, sounding curious._

_“An actress” young Koyuki excitedly exclaimed._

_“What?” Sosetsu stated in surprise, his shock quickly turning into laughter._

A laughter of peaceful joy that rumbled through the hills and mountains, carried by the gentle breeze swaying the newly awakened fields of grass.

“Oh yeah. Now that’s a happy ending” Naruto exclaimed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed learning about the Hatake clan! Since they weren't expanded on in the manga or novels or even the anime I took a lot of creative liberties here. Hope they made sense!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the bigger role I gave Makino and learning more about the Warring States Era from a different perspective!
> 
> This was a big character development arc for everyone, but in different ways! Something you will see next chapter when they head back to the Leaf...Though things might not be as they left them when they return. Dun dun dun ;)


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!
> 
> Hope you are staying safe with the covid-19 pandemic! Hopefully this chapter will lighten your spirits.
> 
> Enjoy!

**(Third POV)**

The feeling of the warm rays of the sun peaking through the canopies of the vibrant green trees, heating their skin as they traversed the worn dirt path was a familiar sensation Team 7 had deeply missed.

The Land of Snow was pretty, but there truly wasn’t anything like home.

“I can’t wait to tell everyone about our mission! Kiba and Bushy Brow are going to be so jealous!” Naruto excitedly declared, giggling a bit in anticipation.

“Do me a favor and hold off debriefing your great-grandfather as long as possible” Kakashi deadpanned, his nose in his beloved Icha Icha novel.

He needed as much of a head start as possible if he was going to try and hide from the Senju Legend after he handed in the mission report to Lady Tsunade.

“I’ll bring the popcorn” Sasuke jested though his tone was so casual he might have been talking about the weather.

“Uchiha’s got jokes today” Kakashi dralled, flipping to the next page, “I’ll make sure to return the favor when your training with Anko starts back up tomorrow morning”

Sasuke grimaced, his face scrunching in a comical wince.

Naruto just let out a laugh at Sasuke’s expense, his face lighting up in amusement.

Sasuke just comically narrowed his eyes at the blonde.

“You won’t be laughing when I kick your ass in our next spar Loser” Sasuke challenged, promising to wipe that smirk off the Dobe’s face for enjoying the insane Snake Lady’s brand of training (cough torture cough).

“Bring it on Bastard! I’ll try not to rub it in your face too much when I win!” Naruto proclaimed, giving Sasuke a confident grin.

Sasuke scoffed.

“Just because you’ve been getting stronger doesn’t mean you’re stronger than me. I’ve been training just as much as you have. The difference is you’ve been playing catch up” Sasuke arrogantly teased, goading the blonde.

“Oh yeah?!” Naruto exclaimed, puffing up like an incensed cat, “Last I checked I was the better trapper, sensor, information gatherer-”

“It’s called a scout Dobe”

“Ninjutsu-”

“ _I’m_ better at ninjutsu. _And_ taijutsu, shurikenjutsu, bukijutsu, genjutsu, _and_ basic shinobi common sense. Actually just common sense in general”

“Last I checked it was my plan that freed Kakashi-sensei from Zabuza, and won us the Heaven scroll in the Chunin Exam”

“Coming from the idiot who called chakra, catra-”

“And I’m the one who knows what pressure points in the body to hit in order to knock someone out for hours on end” Sakura deadpanned smoothly, calmly cutting into their debate, eyes closed as she took a casual swig of water.

“...”

“...”

‘Sakura is getting even scarier training under Ibiki’ Naruto gulped, comically sweating at the implied threat.

Sasuke humphed, but otherwise let the conversation end, blushing in embarrassment at being chastised, though a part of him was mildly impressed with the improvements Ibiki has been making to Sakura’s skill set.

Kakashi held back a chuckle at his adorable students’ antics.

‘A full on spar between any of them would be interesting. Each of their fighting styles are very different. Dangerous in their own ways’ Kakashi considered thoughtfully, ‘Though skill wise...I would be interested to see if Naruto is capable of picking out Sasuke’s signature like Sasuke seems to be able to do with his’

_“I’ll send one of my wolves to your and Sakura’s location in order to track down Doto and Naruto” Kakashi exclaimed, getting ready to re-summon his beta._

_“Don’t bother, I have a lock on Naruto’s chakra” Sasuke rebuked, taking off in the direction of the familiar gentle warm sensation coming from the north west._

’Though that data might be a bit skewed considering Naruto actually _is_ a sensor-type’ Kakashi mused, glancing over the top of his book to observe the two boys who seemed to embody the sun and the moon, ‘Those two are definitely strange’

“I can see the gates!” Naruto exclaimed, a wide grin making its way onto his face.

“Finally!” Sakura rejoiced, excited to be back home.

Team 7 all but fast-walked to the towering entrance gates.

“Well look at what the cat dragged in” Kotetsu joked, giving the squad a welcoming grin.

“We were expecting you guys back a week ago” Izumo noted, casually leaning back in his chair, his nonchalance hiding his relief.

He and Kotetsu knew of every single mission deployed outside the Village (minus those undertaken by the ANBU). It was their job to monitor who came and went, who returned, and who did not return when they were expected to.

So naturally they had known that Team 7 had been deployed on a 2-3 week long mission to guard a film crew making a movie in the Land of Snow.

So when the squad hadn’t returned to the Village at the 3 week mark they immediately informed the Hokage.

Of course in true Kakashi fashion a wolf, _a wolf_ , appeared at the front gates of the Village the next day with a report from Kakashi informing the Hokage their mission would take another week.

Lady Tsunade proceeded to curse the Hatake's lateness from here to the Western Lands.

“Yes well, we ran into some unexpected variables that ended up postponing the movie productions” Kakashi drolled, putting his novel away for safekeeping.

“That’s one word for it” Sasuke muttered, though the two chunin heard him none-the-less, causing them to frown in curiosity and concern.

“I’m sure you’ll be hearing about it through the rumor mill soon enough” Kakashi commented before either of the chunin could ask, “Right now we need to hand in our report to Lady Tsunade”

Izumo and Kotetsu's faces shifted to a serious grimness as they turned to glance at each other warily.

Kakashi immediately narrowed his eye at them, all hints of feigned nonchalance and his lazy mask gone, replaced by the seriousness born only of one who had spent time in the Assassination Corps.

"What is it?" Kakashi demanded, his no-nonsense authoritative tone causing Izumo and Kotetsu's spines to straighten on reflex at the command of their superior.

Team 7 blinked in surprise at their Sensei. Despite his status, Kakashi rarely ever enforced his authority over others...Unless he felt the matter was serious enough.

"Things have been...tense since you've all left on your mission" Kotetsu hesitantly began.

“Tense how?” Kakashi questioned, not liking where this was headed.

“There’s been a lot of unrest with the civilians and an increasing amount of discontent towards shinobi” Izumo continued grimly.

“The civilians? But why? Did something happen?” Sakura questioned, thoroughly confused.

Naruto turned away from the conversation, reaching out his senses to gauge the atmosphere of his home, his breath halting at what he’d found.

“It’s like...a dark cloud of bitterness and mistrust is hanging over the Village…” Naruto muttered in stunned disbelief, never having felt such a thing from his home before (not unless it was directed at him).

Sasuke and Sakura’s eyes snapped to him in concern, not comforted by their teammate’s assessment at all.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed in unease.

Kakashi said nothing for a moment, his expression cold and calculating before it changed, giving his students his signature eye-smile and false cheer, “Well, I’m feeling generous today. Since it’s been so long since we’ve been back I’ll let the three of you off the hook for mission reporting duty. Toodle Oo”

“Huh? Wait! Kakashi-sensei!” Sakura exclaimed, but it was too late, Kakashi had already Body Flickered away in a puff of smoke.

 _“I hate when he does that!” Inner Sakura screeched_ as a tick mark formed on Sakura’s head.

‘If he has suspicions he should tell us instead of leaving us out of it. We always end up getting involved anyway’ Sakura mentally grumbled in annoyance.

“Maybe Grandpa Tobirama knows what’s going on” Naruto hoped, his tone growing serious as he leapt up onto the rooftops, Sasuke and Sakura following quickly after him.

The change was damn near palpable.

Before, traveling across rooftops they would hardly get a second glance as people went about their day.

Now…

It was hard to ignore the glares of annoyance and disgust aimed their way as people gazed up at them when they passed by.

No…

Not just that.

Many of the adults were also looking at them with...pity?

And that floored Naruto as they sped through the marketplace, his teammates following him as he tracked down Grandpa Tobirama.

Not only a month a he could remember the the begrudging glares and unsure mistrust wafting off of the store owners as he went shopping.

But now…

“Hey you kids! Stop your jumping atop people’s houses! You shake my damn ceiling lights every time!” An irate older woman shouted out the balcony window of her apartment when she noticed them headed her way as she was watering the plants on her terrace.

Startled, Naruto nearly fell between the buildings, Sasuke reacting fast, grabbed the back of the blonde’s pants and changed their trajectory to land on the parapet instead of directly on the roof.

“I’m sorry Ma’am! We’ll be more conscientious from now on!” Sakura sincerely apologized, shouting to the woman below them as they passed, keeping to the parapets.

But no sooner had they gone three apartments down did another woman dusting some large rugs cut them off.

“Scat!” a maid sternly ordered, pointing her rug-beater at them, “I’ve been cleaning these rugs all morning. I don’t need the stands knocked over”

Both stunned and out of respect for the woman’s scolding the trio decided to hop down to the main road.

Of course that went they were all up close and personal with the annoyed glares of the regular citizens.

Sakura began to curl a bit in on herself, her hands moving up close to her chest defensively at all the stares, while Sasuke’s went taut, as if he was preparing to defend himself.

Naruto steeled his spine.

He was used to dealing with eyes like these (though something about it was different, not quite aimed at them per say).

“Ignore them” Naruto commanded, taking charge, “We need to find Grandpa Tobirama”

* * *

“I apologize for not stopping by sooner” Tobirama commented contritely, taking a seat on the pillow at his table across from the Akimichi Clan Head.

“Don’t look like you’re ready to commit seppuku Sensei. I know you’ve been busy fixing up the mess we’ve made of the Village in your absence” Torifu Akimichi chuckled, easing his large frame down to the seat besides Choza.

“As blunt as ever I see” Tobirama smirked, at ease with the familiar surroundings.

Yes the diplomacy room was more modern than he remembered, but the general layout remained mostly unchanged.

Most other clans’ diplomacy rooms placed the Clan Head at the front, with their spouse and heirs seated to their left, and the clan elders seated to their right. The guest(s) would be seated within the center of the room, surrounded by the fellow members of the clan situated along the sides, acting as deterrents and guards.

The Akimichi were atypical in that, instead of a bare room meant to intimidate and prevent spies from discovering clan secrets, their diplomacy room consisted of four dining tables. Three long tables on the three sides of the room (excluding the entrance), and a smaller rectangular table made to seat three, situated facing the table at the front wall. And throughout the meeting food and drinks would be served.

Torifu had told him that this was done to ease tensions in order to assist in negotiations going smoother. The Akimichi held firm to the saying, “The way to a person’s heart was through their stomach”.

To Tobirama however, their layout was a strategic variation of the standard clan diplomacy room. The sharing of food giving the meeting a far more open and laid back atmosphere meant to give the guest(s) the reminiscent feeling of family and home in the hopes they would drop their guards and work the negotiations more to their favor.

Of course it was just himself, Choza and Torifu in the room now.

“And you’re as pragmatic as ever. Though nowadays I hear you have a little blonde soft spot” Torifu teased, the wrinkles on his face more pronounced as his face split into a grin.

Tobirama chuckled. He remembered back when Torifu was a twenty-four year old special jonin he’d mentored and considered one of his most trusted confidants.

Now said young adult dwarfed him both in height and size, and had lived a quarter of a century more than him.

And age be damned, Tobirama knew that Torifu would always be ready to fight for his Village, retired or not.

“Perhaps I will bring Naruto with me the next time I visit under better circumstances” Tobirama stated, looking for confirmation of the request to Choza.

Said man nodded eagerly, “It’d be nice for Choji to have someone other than Shikamaru and Ino over the Compound”

“Though scheduling playdates is hardly what we’re here to discuss now is it?” Torifu stated, cutting right to the chase, his demeanor growing far more serious.

“Sadly no” Tobirama confirmed, “I’m here to convince you to return to the Elder Council”

Torifu let out a loud exasperated sigh.

“The Elder Council doesn’t actually hold that much power. We are merely advisors to Hokage and nothing more. Danzo being the sole exception after Hiruzen foolishly gifted him his own personal army” Torifu explained, suddenly sounding very much his age, “Besides, even with Tsunade as Hokage and Hiruzen now an Elder it still leaves personal opinions skewed at three to two. And I have no intention of listening to my former teammates’ nonsense again”

“I’m assuming that is why you left then?” Tobirama inquired, slightly dismayed, but he couldn’t begrudge his former mentee for not wanting to deal with such a headache again.

“When Hiruzen first took office he appointed myself, Homura, Koharu, Danzo, and Kagami as his advisors. The Shinobi Council was meant to help guide the Hokage through differing viewpoints, a form of checks and balances. But after Kagami died Danzo began to claw for more power and Homura and Koharu started ceding to his views. The Council meetings felt more like a verbal battle against enemies rather than a debate between former teammates. When Hiruzen caved and allowed Danzo to form Root I felt as if I was on an island alone. So I left. Hiruzen was the one to label my leave as inactive rather than retired in case a time came I ever wished to return” Torifu detailed, a mournful disappointing regret in his tone.

“And you never did” Tobirama stated grimly.

While the idea of an advising council was a genuinely good idea, the actuality of it in practice turned out to be far more detrimental in the long run. Especially when advisors had to be dismissed or willingly retire. New advisors could be selected to join, but the Fourth had not been in office long enough to appoint new members to the Shinobi Council prior to his death, and Hiruzen hadn’t either when he had retaken office.

“If Hiruzen ever needed my advice he knew where to find me” Torifu simply proclaimed, taking a sip of his sake.

“If you do not mind me asking, what was your plan should my Uncle have agreed?” Choza asked curiously.

“Another ally and voice present when the meeting between the Shinobi Council and the Council of Civilian Clans is brought forward” Tobirama revealed. Torifu and Chozu blinked in surprise.

“The Council of Civilian Clans? I know tensions are starting to escalate now, but for them to actually demand a meeting…” Choza muttered stunned.

The Council of Civilian Clans had been formed in the beginnings of the Village’s development so that the non-shinobi citizens felt like they had a say in the Leaf’s government alongside the shinobi clans. During Lord Tobirama’s time as Hokage, not only had the number of non-shinobi citizens greatly expanded, but so had the need for a more structured government system. As such the Council of Civilian Clans and the Council of Shinobi Clans had ultimately been replaced by the Council of Representatives. Of course both the Council of Civilians and Shinobi Clans remained (either side would have thrown a fit otherwise), though with significantly less influence, and virtually no political power. Really the Councils only remained as a way for the Hokage to effectively communicate with all the clans should a situation or conflict arise.

“That was my reaction as well when Tsuna told me. I leave for three weeks to scout out Orochimaru’s old bases and gather intel on the Akatsuki with Jiraiya only to return and find a second potential rebellion nipping at the Leaf Village’s heels” Tobirama grunted bitterly.

“It would seem Danzo is still one step ahead of us despite everything. Unsurprising. But still disheartening that we are playing into his hands” Torifu proclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You believe this is Danzo’s doing then?” Tobirama inquired, wanting to hear the man’s thoughts on the situation. Torifu scoffed, “Don’t insult my intelligence Sensei. You and I both know this has Danzo’s grubby manipulative paws written all over it”

Tobirama couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

They had waited too long.

In trying to amass their case against Danzo they had taken a huge risk...And it was becoming glaringly obvious they had gambled wrong.

Before the conversation could continue the sound of footsteps echoed across the floorboards outside the diplomacy room.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Pardon the intrusion” Choji exclaimed from the other side of the sliding door.

“Come in” Choza commanded.

Choji opened the doors, kneeling at the edge of the doorway, “There are guests at the gate for Lord Tobirama”

“Guests?” Tobirama echoed curiously, reaching out his senses in order to determine just who it was, a grin making its way onto his face when he realized just who had finally returned.

“Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze-Senju, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno” Choji informed them, not knowing that the Senju had already determined that for himself.

Choza couldn’t help but feel proud how well Choji was enacting proper clan etiquette. Ever since the Chunin Exams Choji has been making a fairly impressive effort in showing their family he was worthy to be the sixteenth Head of their clan.

“I suppose that is my cue to be going” Tobirama exclaimed, getting to his feet and giving the two Akimichi a respectful bow.

“If they’re not busy tell them Choji’ll be more than happy to meet them for lunch at Yakiniku Q” Choza jovially volunteered.

Tobirama resisted the urge to chuckle at the man’s not so subtle attempt to socialize his son, who was now gaping like a fish.

“I’ll be sure to pass along the message” Tobirama assured him, walking out of the room and to the front arches of the Akimichi Compound.

“Grandpa Tobirama!” Naruto excitedly greeted, waving his hand high in the air as he jumped in place.

“I see you’ve finally returned from your mission. Was there a particular reason for your delay?” Tobirama inquired curiously, halting in front of his great-grandson.

It was only then he realized the more serious expression of the three.

“The Princess and the evil Overlord can wait. What the hell is going on with the Village?!” Naruto dismissed, his expression stern and demanding.

“The _what_ ”

* * *

“So let me get this straight” Tsunade began, pinching the bridge of her nose as she placed down the large folder in front of her, “The actress you were hired to guard turned out to be the rightful heiress to the Land of Snow’s throne, and the entire mission was a set up orchestrated by her Manager in order to get her to return to the land of her birth so that she could take the throne back from her tyrannical Uncle who had an army of technologically enhanced ninja at his beck and call”

“Yes” Kakashi confirmed, keeping his answer short and simple since he had a feeling that she wasn’t done.

“And your squad decided that you could handle the coup yourselves not only resulting in the death of the very man who hired you for the mission, but the destruction of the Kazahana clan’s Castle, the overthrow of the then current leader Doto Kazahana, and an appeal for an official alliance between the Leaf and the Land of Snow” Tsunade listed, a tick forming in her eye.

“Sounds about right” Kakashi nonchalantly agreed.

‘If I didn’t already use a transformation technique to alter my appearance this squad would turn me gray’ Tsunade grunted, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“If it’s of any interest, it turns out rainbow chakra is actually a thing. Naruto said it felt as if all the elements flowed through him and merged with his Rasengan. Sakura theorized that the Rainbow Glaciers were something akin to chakra metal. Princess Koyuki already stated she’d be willing to let a few members of the R & D into the country to examine them if we’d like” Kakashi weakly diverted.

“Perhaps, but that will have to be placed on the back burner for now” Tsunade exhaled.

Leave it to Team 7 to give her more paperwork and political headaches then she already had with everything going on. Really she should have expected as much with their past mission record.

Team 7 already procured a trade agreement between them and the Land of Waves, and single-handedly improved the Leaf Village’s alliance with both the Hidden Water Village and the Land of Frost. Really it was only a matter of time before they went the next step and impressed another country into allying with them.

“There is one other thing” Kakashi stated, before moving onto the topic he really wanted to discuss.

Tsunade gave him a suspicious glare.

“There may be a documentary being published displaying our...heroic exploits on the mission….I’m not sure if that’s a breach of security or not considering the mini-cameras were a part of our mission…”

“WHAT?!”

“Explain to me why you deemed it a good idea to assist in a war with another country without the explicit permission of your Hokage to proceed”

Kakashi and Tsunade snapped their heads around to see that an incredibly incensed Tobirama Senju had teleported into the office, glaring daggers of ice at the Hatake.

‘Dammit Naruto’ Kakashi grimaced, comical sweat-drops appearing around his head.

* * *

“You need to chill out Naruto” Shikamaru scolded, trying to reign in the blonde’s temper that was flaying hotter than the fire on the grill in front of them.

“How can I?! We come back from a month long mission to find everything going to shit and none of the adults are telling us why?!” Naruto angrily defended, basically screaming in Shikamaru’s ear and not giving a damn about decorum or who was listening in.

Grandpa Tobirama basically only told them what they already knew: That there was a high amount of civil unrest between the civilians and shinobi growing more and more everyday and then he just took off to who knows where after demanding more information about their mission.

Seeing how irate they were, Choji offered to head with them to Yakiniku Q early.

“From what I hear at the Shop, the mass majority of civilians have come to see the Shinobi Corps as more of a detriment than a benefit anymore. That ninja and shinobi clans are barbaric and are the cause of a majority of the Leaf Village’s power imbalance and problems in general” Ino informed them, her tone grimly serious.

“That’s completely ridiculous!” Naruto shouted in aghast disbelief, offended by the mere notion and audacity.

“Not really” Shikamaru exhaled, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back in the booth, “There _is_ a bit of a power imbalance, but a majority of it relates back to status, prestige, and influence. Not to mention all the Wars can be traced back to shinobi conflicts with other nations”

Shinobi clans were the ones who founded the Village and were integral factors in its initial structural development.

The Uchiha and Senju clans formed the Village, Tobirama Senju in particular shaped many of the Village’s foundations and laws, and Hashirama used his kekkei genkai to create most of the Village’s initial infrastructure. While Tobirama eventually founded many of the Village’s institutions such as the Academy, Anbu, and the Chunin Exams, the Uchiha had been the ones to establish border portals and the first security measures of the Village. The Senju established the first farmlands and the Uchiha shared their skills in baked goods. And to start bringing in more revenue for the Village the Uchiha and Senju created the Hot Springs. Etcetera etcetera etcetera.

Fast forward a year later and the Sarutobi and Shimura clans joined the Village, with the Sarutobi bringing their banana crops and skills in firing clay, and the Shimuras using their juinjutsu to establish the first correctional and holding facilities.

And with the Sarutobi soon came the Akimichi clan who established the very first restaurants. Through them, not only did the Village’s economy begin to soar, but it enticed the merchants, civilians, and the Nara and Yamanaka to settle in the Village as well. Soon after the Aburame settled in the Village, selling their silk for the production of cloth, and clothing stores began to open one after the other. The Nohara and the Hoki (before they left anyway) better established the foundations of a real hospital. The Hatake introduced new crops such as eggplant, and techniques to repel unwanted critters from the farmland. The Inuzuka were the first veterinarians.

All the clans in the Village have established something in the way of the Village’s structure, or have some kind of trade or shop that more or less monopolizes or has control over that specific industry. Sure there are civilians that have similar prestige and influence to the shinobi clans, but it was still a bit harder for non-shinobi civilians to reach that point, even today, leaving a majority of the Leaf’s civilians as middle class.

Add in Shinobi Wars one through three and all the other invasions, political conflicts with other shinobi villages, and internal issues, the belief that shinobi are the root cause of most of the Village’s problems isn’t that unfounded.

“Is the unrest because of the Invasion?” Sakura speculated, trying to think of a reason the civilians would suddenly turn on the shinobi after all this time.

“It was definitely used as a tool to fuel the fire” Shikamaru stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You have a different theory" Sasuke accused, narrowing his eyes at the Nara, daring Shikamaru to refute him.

“What’d you mean?" Choji inquired confused, taking his eyes away from the meat cooking in front of him, "Wouldn’t it make sense that the Invasion is what kick-started the anti shinobi sentiments?”

"Or rather someone else using it to their advantage" Shikamaru cryptically alluded, unsure just how much he wanted Ino and Choji to know, worried about putting them directly into the line of fire.

Of course the choice was made for him.

“You think it was Danzo” Naruto accused, his eyes darkening in fury.

“It fits the pattern” Shikamaru grimly confirmed.

“Who?” Choji asked, dumbfounded, blinking in confusion.

“Danzo?” Ino questioned in surprise, “The Village Elder?”

“More like conniving traitor” Naruto muttered bitterly, clenching his fists around his chopsticks, causing them to snap.

Sasuke wasn't much better, you could almost hear his teeth grinding.

“So he _does_ have something to do with everything going on” Ino murmured thoughtfully, bringing a few pieces of peppers and meat to her mouth.

"What'd you mean by that?" Sakura inquired curiously, keeping her voice low.

"My Dad's not as quiet as he thinks he is. I've been catching a few things here and there when he's talking to my Mom. Not to mention he's been spending a lot of time at T&I lately" Ino admitted, though all she'd managed to piece together was that there was more to the unrest than met the eye, and that Elder Danzo was somehow involved.

"So Danzo's spreading rumors again. Surprise surprise" Naruto muttered bitterly, angrily taking a bite of meat.

"Probably to keep the heat off himself" Shikamaru agreed, swiping a few pieces of meat onto his plate so that he would have some once Choji came out of his attentive stupor.

"Heat?" Sasuke questioned suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at Shikamaru as he subtly followed the Nara's lead and took some meat for himself.

He knew Danzo was currently in hot water right now, but he didn’t have any of the specific details.

"Grandpa Tobirama, Grandma Tsunade, and Gramps aren't very happy with him right now" Naruto explained, his tone tight and pointed, making it clear to everyone who wasn't in the know that Danzo was in some manner of 'trouble' without actually divulging anything to confidential.

"So he's causing the non-shinobi civilians to lash out at us for what? A distraction?" Choji questioned in appalled disbelief.

"Probably" Shikamaru speculated, letting out a large exhausted exhale.

“Damn cowardly bastard. We got back and people were looking at us with disgust! And pity! I mean I’m used to blind hatred and mistrust, but _pity_?! Hell people were glaring at us as if we were heathens when we were jumping over rooftops!” Naruto ranted in frustration, angrily chewing his food.

“The civilians have pretty much lost all their filters these days. Parents especially have been pretty vocal about how they feel about child soldiers” Choji commented, a firm frown on his face.

“I’ll say. I’ve heard rumors that some civilians have even filed motions against clans and shinobi, claiming that sending kids to the Academy is a form of child abuse since its basically training toddlers to be killers” Ino exclaimed in stunned disbelief.

Sakura and Naruto actually choked on their food, each of them taking a quick swig of water to get it down.

Sasuke on the other hand was doing his best imitation of an owl.

Child abuse...Training your kids to be ninja was _child abuse_?

Sasuke just could even _begin_ to fathom the concept.

Maybe it was because he was from such a prestigious clan. Maybe it was because he had been the son of the Clan Head. Maybe it was because he had been in Itachi’s shadow. But for whatever the reason he couldn’t imagine himself as anything _but_ a shinobi. Hell even when he was a year or two old he remembered playing with stuffed shuriken!

To him ninja training wasn’t child abuse. It was strength, and honor. Culture (if you were from a clan).

The only way he could even _maybe_ consider the possibility it was abuse was how the training was done, but even then...

“Yup. I can’t even tell you how many women have come into the Shop and told me what a shame it was a sweet girl like me was born into a shinobi clan” Ino mimicked with an overexaggerated expression of sadness, “Whenever I try and explain to them that I’m proud to be a Yamanaka and a shinobi they just look at me with these sad sorry eyes. One woman even had the balls to tell me how disgusted she was that clans brainwashed their children from a young age to want to become ninja!”

“They actually think clans brainwash their kids to be ninja?” Sakura exclaimed, her mouth dropped open in disbelief.

“Right. I forgot you and Naruto wouldn’t really get it” Shikamaru muttered consideringly, chewing on his straw a bit.

“Huh? Get what?” Naruto questioned, he and Sakura both confused and slightly offended by Shikamaru’s words.

“For clans that were established during the Warring States Era it's an unspoken expectation that you enter the Academy and become a shinobi like your ancestors. Granted lower members of the clan are allowed a bit more freedom to choose so long as they choose to work within the clan’s trade, but if you’re the heir forget it” Shikamaru grumbled.

“You didn’t want to be a ninja?” Naruto asked in surprise, “I mean, I knew you always complained how it was such a drag but…”

Shikamaru sighed, “I would’ve preferred not to have been the heir, but we don’t get to choose our parents...Besides, even I have my own goals these days”.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted to be a shinobi. He just wanted to be an unremarkable one. A ninja with a laidback, unmentionable, stressless career, eventually make it to chunin, get married and have two kids, and then die of old age. But no matter what he’d wanted life sure as hell always seemed to be kicking his ass in the opposite direction.

But he’d chosen his side. And he wasn’t about to abandon Naruto now.

Naruto just gave Shikamaru a critically appraising stare, not fully understanding what the other meant by his own goals, but he did notice that his friend held a quiet motivation bubbling underneath the surface of his nonchalant demeanor.

“Putting aside Shikamaru’s questionable level of fluctuating motivations, the point is all the civilians are starting to turn on us. I see more and more of them with that tattoo every day. It’s almost like a cult!” Ino exclaimed, keeping her voice low on the last part.

‘Or a rebellion’ Sasuke thought grimly, his entire body tense at the realization.

Danzo was playing a dangerous game.

“Tattoo?” Sakura questioned, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

Was it possible the so called civilians were actually Root plants?

Choji nodded warily, “I’ve been seeing them around more and more too. Even some of our civilian staff at the restaurants are wearing them now. Dad isn’t sure what to do about it. So far they haven’t done anything against our shinobi customers or the staff members from our Clan so it's not like he can fire them...But they are still vocal about their opinions and it’s making some of the staff uncomfortable”.

“Do you think there’s anything we can do?” Ino asked, directing her question at Shikamaru, not even bothering to disguise the hope in her eyes.

For a moment Shikamaru said nothing. The silence weighing on all of them like a smothering fog.

“For now just keep an ear out and watch your back. There’s more at play here then discontented citizens and a political scandal. Just don’t be snooping around” Shikamaru warned, to Ino and Choji specifically (not that they knew that).

Of course he was a total hypocrite and was going to be doing just that, but his teammates didn’t need to know that. He already had a target on his back, they didn’t.

“You don’t think there’s going to be a civil war do you?” Ino whispered, her voice barely even audible as she gazed at Shikamaru in fearful concern, silently begging him to refute her.

Shikamaru said nothing.

And when he didn’t respond for the longest time Ino and Choji seemed to almost stop breathing at the unspoken implications...And Team 7 couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for them.

They had time to come to terms with the secret of a possible civil war (Made easier in part due to their Team’s experience with just how unjust the Shinobi Council actually was).

But Ino and Choji didn’t have that experience.

They had viewed the Shinobi Council as wise elders that had trained under the Second Hokage and had the Village’s best interests at heart. That the Village, while imperfect, was still unified.

The removal of such a veil was a loss of innocence that Shikamaru hated to see on their faces...No matter how inevitable.

“...Speaking of war...Did we mention our mission to the Land of Snow got us caught in the middle of a coup against the nation’s tyrant Daimyo?” Naruto proclaimed, putting a fake smile on his face, a devious sparkle appearing in his eyes when he saw his distraction had worked and he suddenly had Team 10’s full attention.

* * *

“So we fucked up” Kakashi bluntly proclaimed, his tone pointed and tense, yet accepting.

“Indeed” Tobirama grimly confirmed, his arms crossed firmly against his chest, silently cursing himself for not bringing his former subordinate in immediately.

“If we want to prevent a civil war with both Danzo and our civilian population then we need to act quickly” Tsunade proclaimed, her gaze hard as she looked over her hands folded in front of her face.

“We won’t be able to win a fight on two precarious fronts...Not without a strategy anyway...And if Danzo doesn’t already have his own counter contingencies I’ll eat my Icha Icha novels” Kakashi deadpanned, a note of exhaustion buried in his bland tone.

“Shikaku is already on it, and Inoichi is using his Clan’s Mind Transmission jutsu so that all the clans and shinobi department Heads can telepathically communicate and coordinate with one another” Tsunade informed them, though her tone was grave.

“We can only pray it is enough when we bring Danzo in” Tobirama exclaimed, his tone wary and uncertain.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow will determine whether or not the Leaf will once again be at war.

And Tobirama knew that regardless of what happened, the Leaf Village would never be the same again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to start really rolling now ;)


End file.
